Maggie Connolly, Gettysburg
Box Score
GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Senior Maggie Connolly (Winchester, Mass./Winchester) had a hand in the final three goals and fourth-ranked Gettysburg College held William Smith College scoreless in the second half on the way to a 4-2 victory in the second round of the NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse Championship at Clark Field.
Gettysburg (17-2) advances to the third round of the tournament where they will face eighth-ranked Amherst College (13-4), which defeated York (Pa.) College 12-7. Time and location of the game will be officially released on Monday.
Saturday's affair with William Smith (12-8) was a war of attrition. Gettysburg appeared in control early with junior goalie Shannon Keeler (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown) posting a pair of stops before an acrobatic goal by senior Emily Tropsa (Darien, Conn./Darien). Tropsa corralled a high pass from sophomore Katie Landry (Hingham, Mass./Hingham) for a one-timer with just over 23 minutes left in the first half.
The Herons turned the ball over on their next three possessions with senior Christina Wright (Kingsville, Md./Fallston) recording a pair of caused turnovers, but Gettysburg was unable to convert as William Smith goalie Sarah Honan posted one of her game-high eight saves on a free-position shot by sophomore Katie Willis (Baltimore, Md./Notre Dame Prep) with 16 minutes on the first-half clock.
The defenses settled in for both teams, keeping the opposing attackers away from the cage for most of the first period. William Smith eventually grabbed momentum with back-to-back goals in the final 30 seconds. Geneva Calder tallied the first after finding an opening along the right side and Hannah Connolly put the Herons in front 2-1 by sprinting down the left side of the field and firing a shot past Keeler.
William Smith struggled in the second half, committing 10 turnovers and failing on four clear attempts. The Herons did not get a shot off against the Bullets' swarming defense until Hannah Connolly put one into Keeler's stick nearly 15 minutes into the final frame.
Meanwhile, Maggie Connolly helped steer the hosts back in front. After a yellow card on the Herons, the senior attacker converted a free-position attempt at 26:45. She added an assist on a nice finish by Willis to give Gettysburg a 3-2 lead with 13:30 to play.
Following another save by Keeler, the Bullets burned over three minutes of clock time before Maggie Connolly threw in another free-position goal with 8:20 left.
Keeler polished off the second-half shutout with a pair of saves in the remaining time, including Hannah Connolly's last toss with 50 seconds to play.
The game would have set a national championship record for fewest goals scored by two teams, but Springfield College out-lasted Bates College 3-2 on Saturday. It was just the second time in program history Gettysburg scored four goals or less and won. The Bullets defeated Western Maryland College (now McDaniel) 4-3 in 1979.
Gettysburg finished with advantages in shots (18-10) and ground balls (21-13), while William Smith won 6-of-7 draws. The Herons finished with 20 turnovers in the game.
In addition to the three points, Connolly tallied three ground balls and two caused turnovers. Wright posted three ground balls and a pair two caused turnovers, while Keeler logged six saves, two ground balls, and one caused turnover.