GW Lacrosse Uses Second-Half Rally to Down Saint Joseph's, 10-9, in Overtime

Friday, March 30

<b>WASHINGTON, DC - MOUNT VERNON FIELD</b>

4:00 PM

George Washington University

<b>SAINT JOSEPH'S</b>

Junior Caitlyn O'Brien celebrates as GW defeats Saint Joseph's, 10-9, in overtime.

GW Lacrosse Uses Second-Half Rally to Down Saint Joseph's, 10-9, in Overtime

3/30/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse

March 30, 2012

Box Score

WASHINGTON - With just 4.9 seconds remaining in overtime, senior Sarah Phillips connected with junior Nicole Lacey for the deciding goal that lifted the George Washington lacrosse team to a thrilling 10-9 come-from-behind victory over Saint Joseph's in its Atlantic 10 debut on Friday afternoon the GW Lacrosse Field.

It marked the first overtime contest of the season for the Colonials, who improved to a perfect 5-0 at home with the victory, but had to erase a six-goal second half deficit just to force the extra period.

Scoreless through the opening 3:17 through overtime, freshman Addi Bolin forced a Saint Joseph's turnover to set up GW's final possession. The Colonials maintained control for the remainder of the period until Phillips found an open Lacey in front of the cage with less than five seconds to play to send the Buff and Blue to a conference-opening victory for the second straight season.

Trailing 7-1 just under five minutes into the second half, GW (7-3, 1-0 A-10) exploded for a 7-1 run over a span of 12:03 to knot the score at 8-8. Senior Casey Disharoon ended a stretch of seven consecutive goals for the Hawks, which started in the first half, with an unassisted goal at the 19:51 mark to spark the scoring frenzy.

Back-to-back goals by freshmen Allie Rash and Bolin pulled the Colonials within 8-4 with 10:50 to play. Lacey then found the back of the net on a free-position shot just over a minute later, and Phillips found an open sophomore Terasa Vassallo for a goal to cut the margin to 8-6.

Phillips netted a free-position goal at 7:31 to trim the lead to one, and GW knotted the score at 8-8 when senior Megan Seidman scored off of a pass from Disharoon just 37 seconds later.

Saint Joseph's (4-6, 0-1 A-10) regained the lead at 4:29, but Bolin scored the equalizer with 45 seconds remaining in regulation to send the game to overtime. The Colonials then controlled possession for much of the extra session, failing to convert on two late free-position attempts before Lacey's heroics.

Lacey and Seidman led the Colonials with two goals each, and Phillips scored a team-high four points with a goal and a game-high three assists. Phillips now had 98 career goals, just two shy of becoming the fourth Colonials' player ever to reach 100 in her career. Senior goalkeeper Jess Hicks made two stops on 14 shots faced between the pipes.

Grace Dinn and Val Paolucci paced the Hawks with three goals apiece, and goalie Alisha Aquilino made 12 saves on 25 shots faced.

GW returns to action this Sunday, April 1 when it hosts No. 19/15 Massachusetts. Action is set for 1 p.m. at GW Lacrosse Field on the Mount Vernon Campus.