Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 5/2718
From Press Releases
Most Outstanding Player Haley Warden (Garnet Valley) had four goals and the game-clinching draw and Elena Romsburg (Central Bucks West) added three goals and an assist as James Madison held off Boston College, 16-15, today to win its first NCAA Division I women’s lacrosse championship at Stony Brook University, N.Y.
Warden – the 2014 Phillylacrosse.com Co-Player of the Year – was the dominant force in the final minutes as the Dukes completed a Cinderella story.
In Warden’s sophomore year, JMU was just 10-10. This year the Dukes went 22-1 and rolled off wins in the NCAA tourney against perennial powers Virginia, Florida and North Carolina before topping the Eagles, who also were seeking their first national crown after bowing to Maryland in last year’s title game.
Warden – who had five goals in Friday’s 15-12 semifinal win over UNC – scored her second goal of the game with just less than 10 minutes to play to give JMU a 13-11 lead and then made it 14-11 by ripping home an 8-meter with 7:02 to play.
After BC (22-2) pulled within 15-14, Warden took a feed from Katie Kerrigan to give her team a 2-goal lead 1:05 to play. BC made it 16-15 with :22 to play on a goal by Tess Chandler.
But Warden won the next draw and JMU ran out the clock.
Junior Hanna Haven and senior Kristen Gaudian each tallied three goals for JMU while redshirt freshman Molly Dougherty made seven saves to earn the win in goal.
Warden was joined on the All-Tournament team by UNC senior Marie McCool (Moorestown), another 2014 Phillylacrosse Co-Player of the Year.
“I think that no one expected us to win this game today, and going into this game I’d say yeah, we were the underdogs,” Warden told Lacrosse Magazine. “But right now, I just think that our hard work this whole entire season really paid off.
“I’m happy we embraced that mentality because I think it really helped us thrive this weekend.”
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