ECC Lax Insider: Saturday’s Match-up Between Dowling and C.W. Post Likely to Decide Conference Title
CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (May 4, 20110 - Now in its fourth season as a women's lacrosse program, Dowling is ready for a sea change to occur in the East Coast Conference.
After years of dominance by perennial power C.W. Post, a streak that includes five consecutive postseason appearances, the Golden Lions have emerged in 2011 as a conference and national title contender.
On Saturday, Dowling is set to face off against C.W. Post in a likely winner-take-all battle for the conference crown and a chance to compete in the NCAA Division II postseason. While the Pioneers hope to make it six NCAA appearances in a row, the Golden Lions have the opportunity to make history and earn their first-ever ECC crown and postseason berth.
Finally, the season-long buildup has reached its culmination. For Dowling head coach Kerri McCabe, her squad has been preparing for this moment for quite some time.
“It's been building over four years,” McCabe said. “We've been winning big games this year and I think our composure is better. It's an exciting time and we're looking to play our best lacrosse and hopefully come out on top this weekend.”
For the bulk of the season, Dowling (12-2 overall, 5-0 ECC) and C.W. Post (12-3, 6-0) have been head-and-shoulders above fellow league foes, making Saturday's showdown even more intriguing. For starters, the closest any conference opponent has come to beating Dowling has been eight goals by Molloy, who fell to the Golden Lions 16-8 back on April 6. As for C.W. Post, the squad has outscored its ECC foes by an average of 14 goals per game.
In the latest IWLCA national polls, the teams are just three spots away from each other, with Dowling residing at No. 5 in the nation and C.W. Post at No. 8.
Considering that both squads feature electric offenses and shutdown defenses, the pinnacle match-up figures to be quite even. Led by five 20-goal scorers, C.W. Post is averaging 16 goals per game – good for seventh in the nation in total scoring offense. Junior midfielder
Lauren Spagnoletta leads the way with 51 goals for the Pioneers, while freshman
Jackie Sileo and senior
Michelle Fucich have emerged as consistent playmakers, combining for 48 goals and 80 assists.
“They are similar to us in many ways,” said McCabe, whose team is 0-3 all-time against C.W. Post. “There are a lot of good match-ups with these teams and it's always been a terrific rivalry no matter what. Now we face them with the opportunity to get into the NCAA playoffs for the first time.”
Meanwhile, a big reason behind Dowling's success this season has been its prolific offense. The Golden Lions boast five 30-goal scorers on the roster, a rare feat in women's lacrosse today.
Behind the likes of junior attacker Brooke Witkowski and senior midfielder Cassandra Cronin, Dowling is averaging 17.29 goals per game, which ranks fourth overall in the nation. The Golden Lions have won nine games in a row entering Saturday's showdown, scoring double-digits in each against upper-echelon squads like Stonehill, West Chester, New Haven and Molloy.
“Dowling is having a great year,” C.W. Post head coach
Meghan McNamara said. “They have found their knack and know each other on the field, and that's powerful as a team. They have a lot of weapons, so it's going to be an interesting match-up.”
Witkowski has proven to be one of the game's most dynamic dual-threat playmakers and leads the team in points with 35 goals and 60 assists. While the Lindenhurst, New York native also finished as Dowling's leader in assists last season, she's added goal scoring to her repertoire as well in '11. Entering Wednesday, her 60 assists also ranked second in the nation at 4.21 per game. All the while, Cronin has contributed 38 goals and 27 assists, while Nicolle Moran, Kelly Cefalu and Samantha Stavish have combined to net a whopping 100 goals.
Defensively, the Golden Lions have been consistent from the get-go. With a reliable unit in the backfield, Dowling has been able to find that perfect balance this season that most elite teams typically possess. Spearheaded by goalie Rachael Goldstein and defenders Kristen Matos, Alana Gund and Samantha Titus, the Golden Lions are allowing just 8.14 goals per game, good for seventh in all of Division II.
With all indications pointing to this game being close from start to finish, the difference on Saturday may ultimately come down to composure and overall execution during crunch time. While the Pioneers have plenty of big-game experience in recent years, the Golden Lions have been battle tested in '11 against some of the nation's top teams, including Adelphi, Merrimack, West Chester and Stonehill.
“It comes down to maturity, understanding the game, and knowing when to slow things down and time to take the best shots,” McCabe said. “We've been tested in those areas this year, and so it's all about making them count and coming up with big defensive stops.”
As for C.W. Post, the team's approach to Saturday's finale hasn't changed despite the pressure situation.
“It's a game and you play each game to win,” McNamara said. “You have to give everything you have. While it may be a big game, nothing has changed in our approach. The girls are fighters and they won't give up.”
While Saturday's contest marks the final regular season game of the season for C.W. Post, Dowling still has some work to do. Even if the Golden Lions prevail against the Pioneers, the squad must defeat league rival Seton Hill (6-9) on Sunday to officially earn the title. Despite Seton Hill sporting a league record of 3-3, the task won't be easy for Dowling. The Griffins came within two goals of beating C.W. Post on April 9.
But make no mistake, with a playoff berth and conference crown on the line, this weekend's battle between the Pioneers and Golden Lions figures to be one of the most compelling lacrosse games of the entire season. The contest is scheduled for 1:30 PM at Hickox Field in Brookville.
“It should be a back and forth game and intense,” McNamara said. “It's two great teams going at it for the title. I wouldn't expect anything less.”
To contact ECC Correspondent Adam Warner, send an e-mail to warner.adam@gmail.com.