After winning its first five conference games of the regular season, the womenís lacrosse team had one more test this past Saturday against arch-rival; Wittenberg University. With a win, the team would clinch the North Coast Athletic Conference regular season title. With an 18-9 win over the Tigers, the Scots (6-0 NCAC, 9-3 overall) were able to run the table and barely had to break a sweat in front of the home crowd.
The win marks Woosterís third undefeated season in the conference play in the past six years. However, it is the first time the Scots have clinched the regular season title.
On the sunny Saturday afternoon game, which recognized the seniors for their contributions to the team over the past four years, the seniors controlled the game as the leading scorers for the team. Hillary Darragh í09 led the Fighting Scots to victory with a career-high seven goals on Saturday against Wittenberg University in her last regular season game as a Scot.
The score was close early in the game but Wooster built a significant lead going into the half. At the 20-minute mark Wooster trailed 2-1, but gained momentum to lead 8-3 at 5:24 with three goals from Darragh.
The Fighting Scots opened the second half with four consecutive goals during the first 8:24, increasing their lead to 13-5. The seniors stood out on their ìSenior Day” with Carley Carey í09 accounting for four goals and Taryn Higgins í09 recording three. Nina Dine í11 scored four goals as well and Carley Carey, Higgins and Jill Lee í11 each recorded an assist. Defensively, Jamie Dannenberg í09 made 10 saves.
Head Coach Liz Ford said that she is ìvery happy with [the teamís] play. We have made great strides through the seasons to ensure some wins.”
As the NCAC regular season victors, the Scots will have the luxury of hosting the NCAC Tournament. Wooster (10-3, 6-0 NCAC) will host Denison University in the semi-final round of the NCAC tournament today at 2:30 p.m. In the following game, third-place Wittenberg (3-3 NCAC, 7-6 overall) will take on second-place Kenyon College (4-2 NCAC, 11-4 overall).
In the final standings, Wittenberg, Denison and Ohio Wesleyan University all tied for third-place with a conference record of 3-3. In the pre-season poll, Ohio Wesleyan was picked to finish second behind Wooster. However, the Battling Bishops finished with just a .500 record and will consequently be the odd-team out of the four-team tournament.
The Scots prevailed on the road against Denison 10-9 in the only meeting between the two teams this season on April 11. In Granville, the Scots had trailed by a 9-6 margin with just 13 minutes left to play. However, the Scots were able to narrow the deficit to 9-8, and from there, Carly Carey í10 was able to provide some last minute heroics. Carey knocked in the tying goal with three minutes to go before punching in the game-winner with just 10 seconds left to play.
Denison, however, is riding a three game winning streak into the NCAC Tournament after losing its first three NCAC games. Last Saturday, the Big Red came from behind to beat Allegheny 14-13 to qualify for the tournamentís last spot.
This is also not the first time the two teams have met in the NCAC Tournament. The two teams have met in the semi-final round of the NCAC Tournament for the past three years. In 2006, Denison prevailed 10-7 en route to an NCAC Tournament championship before bowing out to Franklin and Marshall University in the NCAA Tournament. In 2007, Wooster returned the favor as the Scots beat Denison 19-12 on their way to an NCAC Tournament championship. Last year, the Scots again defeated Denison but fell to Ohio Wesleyan in the tournament championship.
The Scots will be heavy favorites going into this tournament after running the table during the regular season and playing host for the first time in years. If the Scots can finish the drill, it will be their second NCAA Tournament appearance in three years.