Generals Headed to NCAA Division III Tournament

LEXINGTON, Va. --- The 15th-ranked Washington and Lee women's lacrosse team was named the 2012 ODAC Champion after defeating Roanoke, 20-5, on Sunday afternoon at Watt Field in the ODAC Tournament Championship game.

With the win, the Generals improve to 15-4 on the season, while the Maroons end their 2012 campaign with an 11-7 overall record.

W&L notched a quick 3-0 start in the contest as sophomore midfielder Meade Brewster(Brookside, N.J./West Morris Mendham), senior attacker Alli Shearin (Essex Fells, N.J./West Essex) and sophomore attacker Margaret Klein(North Andover, Mass./Brooks) each registered a goal by the 23:49 mark. RC junior attacker Jamie Golden (Timonium, Md./Notre Dame) put the Maroons on the board for the first time in the game with an unassisted tally at 23:03 (3-1).

The Generals continued their offensive dominance, as three more goals were scored by 12:59, bringing their lead to five (6-1). Golden fired off another shot at 8:45 (6-2), only to have W&L senior attacker Maddie McKaig (Annapolis, Md./Annapolis) answer with a goal at 7:22 (7-2). Each team recorded one more goal in the half, allowing the Blue and White to walk into halftime with an 8-3 advantage.

W&L gained a comfortable 14-goal lead, as the Generals scored nine unanswered goals in the first 20:46 of the second period (17-3). During this stretch, Klein scored four goals, Shearin tallied three goals, and Brewster and sophomore midfielder Meredith Lavin scored one goal apiece. With 5:30 left in the contest, junior midfielder Kathleen Wager (Lexington, Va./Rockbridge County) broke RC's scoring drought with a goal off a free position shot (17-4). W&L allowed just one more goal from the Maroons in the remainder of the game, coasting to the 20-5 win.

First-year Cara Mulligan (Glen Ridge, N.J./Glen Ridge) and senior Jennifer Linder (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown) split time in net for the Generals. Mulligan saved seven shots and recorded three goals-against in 52:25 and Linder allowed two goals-against in 7:35. First-year Lauren Curtin (Hudson, Ohio/Western Reserve) and junior Lauren Zdziarski (Gainesville, Fla./Buchholz) also shared time in the cage for RC, with Curtin recording 10 saves and 12 goals-against and Zdziarski registering three saves and eight goals-against.

Shearin led W&L with seven points on four goals and three assists. Klein notched five goals and one helper, and Brewster netted four tallies. Senior midfielder Christina Benedetti (Derwood, Md./Academy of the Holy Cross) was strong in the draw circle, claiming six draw controls, and sophomore defender Olive Waxter (Baltimore, Md./Roland Park) picked up four ground balls.

Golden paced the Maroons with three goals and Wager added the final two goals.  On the field, senior defender Elizabeth Hartge (Easton, Md./Easton) tallied three draw controls and two ground balls, and Wager and first-year midfielder Darragh Evarts (Goldens Bridge, N.Y./John Jay) each picked up three ground balls.

Along with the ODAC Championship, W&L has earned an automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Tournament, set to begin on Wednesday. The Generals will receive their first-round matchup during the selection show on Sunday night.

All-Tournament Team
Guilford: Summer Frazier, E'leyna Garcia
Lynchburg: Kendall Adkin, Hailey Bossert
Roanoke:Allison Bonnano, Lauren Curtin, Elizabeth Hartge
W&L: Meade Brewster, Margaret Klein, Alli Shearin, Cara Mulligan, Christina Benedetti

--- This release is courtesy of the Washington and Lee University sports information department. ---
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