LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The No. 1 Lock Haven University Lacrosse team won the 2015 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship and second consecutive title with a thrilling, 11-6 win over No. 9 Mercyhurst University.
The PSAC title, Lock Haven' (18-0) second straight, is the school's eighth overall. Lock Haven has now won five of the last seven PSAC Championship matches.
LHU is also a perfect 18-0 and the 18 straight wins set a school record for longest winning streak.
The Lakers fall to 15-4 on the season.
Jessica Pandolf (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem North) was named the PSAC Tournament MVP leading the Lady Eagles with her outstanding and flawless play.
The senior-midfielder led all scorers today with a game-high five goals, four groundballs and a game-high four draw controls. Pandolf went 3-for-4 on free position shots and tallied 13 overall goals in the PSAC Tournament.
The energy throughout the field was electric at the sound of the first whistle.
Chrissy Baffuto (Long Valley, N.J./West Morris Central) ignited the Haven defense with a save in the first minute of action to set the tone for the entire first half.
Lock Haven netted the first two goals to lead MU, 2-0 with 17 minutes left in the half. Mercyhurst responded with a goal before LHU netted three straight goals to lengthen the Haven lead, 5-1.
The Lady Eagles led the Lakers, 7-3 at the break.
Mercyhurst responded at the start of the second half with a goal in the first 15 seconds. Pandolf responded for the Haven with a free-position goal to lead, 8-5.
Despite the lead, Mercyhurst fought hard to gain possession but was hindered by numerous fouls and a yellow card in the second half.
Lock Haven maintained composure and defensively held the Lakers charge to seal a thrilling, 11-6 victory.
Senior
Rachel Ward (Indianapolis/Bishop Chatard) added a pair of goals and a ground ball in the win.
Jenna Dingler (Turnersville, N.J./Washington Township) was remarkable and proved to be crucial in the midfield. The junior recorded three caused turnovers, one groundball, one goal, and draw control.
Not enough can be said for the brilliant play of redshirt-junior Baffuto between the pipes for LHU. Baffuto recorded 10 saves for a .625 save percentage in the win.
Melinda Wojt (Telford, Pa./Souderton) led LHU defensively with five groundballs and three caused turnovers to help hold the Lakers to just six goals.
Lock Haven recorded 19-for-21 successful clears and nine draw controls on the day.
Lock Haven will now await tomorrow's (Sunday, May 3) NCAA Division II Selection Show. The 20145 NCAA DII Women's Lacrosse Tournament Field will be unveiled tomorrow night at 8 p.m.
WATCH THE SHOW LIVE HERE Lock Haven was ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Division II South Region rankings when they came out on Wednesday. The top four teams from each region in the final NCAA Regional Rankings – North and South are selected to the NCAA Tournament.
The Lady Eagles would be search of their third consecutive NCAA bid and eighth total in school history.
