Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 5/20/12
From Press Release
Junior attacker Kaitlin Hildebrand (Conestoga) scored the game-tying and game-winning goals in the second half to lead the Trinity College Bantams to an 8-7 victory over the top-ranked and previously-undefeated Salisbury University Sea Gulls in the 2012 NCAA Division III Championship Finals this afternoon on Sprague Field at Montclair State (N.J.) University.
Trinity (21-1) wins its first NCAA Women’s Lacrosse title in its first appearance in the NCAA Final Four, finishing the season with a best-ever 21-1 final record. Hildebrand (three goals), senior co-captains Liz Bruno and Liza Beckler, junior goalkeeper Olivia Whitney, and sophomore attackmer Shea Kusiak were named to the NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team, and Bruno took home Most Outstanding Player honors. Salisbury ends its year at 22-1.
Just over one minute after Trinity fell behind, 5-4, Hildebrand drew a foul on an attempt from the left side and converted the ensuing free-position shot with a shot high and to the left of Wheatley.
Hildebrand, who scored the game-winning goal with four seconds left in Trinity’s NESCAC Finals win against Middlebury and the game-tying goal to force overtime in the NESCAC Semifinal win against Hamilton two weekends ago, netted the clincher in this game with 13:07 remaining, as Bruno found her cutting down the middle from the right wing. Duncan tallied Trinity’s third free-position goal of the game with 11:16 left, and Bruno powered through the Sea Gull defense and scored to give the Bantams a three-goal cushion at 8-5 with just under 10 minutes remaining in the contest.
