SAU earns spot in Heart Championship with overtime win
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | 2OT | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
William Penn (IA) (10-4) | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
|
(RV) St. Ambrose (8-6) | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 13 |
Claire Jeffers scored a free position shot to send the game into overtime, and Anabelle Brown netted the game-winner, her eighth goal of the night, 27 seconds into the extra period to give St. Ambrose a 13-12 victory over William Penn Wednesday night in the Heart Conference semifinals. With the win, SAU will play in the first-ever Heart Tournament Championship for women's lacrosse on Saturday, April 22nd.
The game was an instant classic, with neither team taking more than a three-goal lead.
William Penn got off to a hot start, taking a 2-0 lead less than two minutes into the game. The Bees responded with two goals from Brown to put the game even with 10:37 remaining in the first. The Statesmen went on another two-goal run to make it 4-2 at the 7:45 mark. A goal from Hannah Reynolds with 3:23 cut the lead to one, but WP would add another for a 5-3 lead after one.
Audrey Warner had back-to-back chances on net to start the second but couldn't get one past the William Penn goalie. Maggie Samson made back-to-back saves for SAU to keep the deficit at two with 12:16 on the clock. But the visitors would get their biggest lead of the game on a score from Bailee Royal with 10:03 left in the second to make it 6-3. Maddie Wiltrout won the ensuing draw control, and Jayden Ambrose found Brown to make it a two-score game again with 9:36 to go. Warner scored a man-up goal to cut the lead to one with 7:18 on the clock, but WP answered back with a score to push the lead back to two at the 5:13 mark. Brown would add another with 59 seconds left as the Bees would head into halftime down 7-6.
St. Ambrose tied it up just 56 seconds into the third off a score from Warner, and the Bees would get their first lead of the night when Rea-Samone Brown found Anabelle Brown to make it 8-7 with 11:06 remaining in the quarter. Warner would nab her third goal with 10:10 on the clock to give SAU a two-goal lead. But the Statesmen would respond with two goals of their own to make it 9-9 with 21 seconds left in the quarter. Warner won the draw control and found Brown to give St. Ambrose a 10-9 advantage heading into the fourth.
William Penn would make it 10-10 on a free position shot with 12:57 to go in the fourth, but Brown got a free position attempt of her own and converted to put SAU ahead 11-10 at the 10:34 mark. After a free position save on St. Ambrose, William Penn successfully cleared the ball and found the back of the net to tie the game at 11-all with 4:28 remaining. The Statesmen would take a 12-11 lead with 2:28 to go, getting a score from a free position shot. William Penn won the ensuing draw control, but Lauren Hoesly came up big, forcing a turnover to give the ball to St. Ambrose. Jeffers would convert her free position shot with 1:51 on the clock for the 12-12 tie. William Penn had a chance to win the game in the final seconds, but the shot was blocked to send the game into overtime.
Jayden Ambrose won the OT draw control, and Brown was the hero finding the back of the net to give SAU the 13-12 victory.
Brown finished with a game-high eight goals and a game-high 10 draw controls. Warner netted a hat-trick and had one assist. Reynolds and Jeffers were the other scores for St. Ambrose. Bailee Royal led the visitors with six scores.
Hoesly, Wiltrout, Abby Taaffe, and Mackenzie Zions each caused two turnovers for the Bees. Sophie McPeek and Cece Kowalczyk each caused one. Samson was credited with six saves in the win.
St. Ambrose will now face the No. 1 seed Benedictine Ravens in the championship on Saturday, April 22nd at 1 p.m. in Atchison, Kansas. The regular-season matchup saw the Ravens take a 22-6 victory in Davenport.
