Sports Information Department – 112 Dods Hall
Phone (716) 673-3100 / Fax (716) 673-3136

CONTACT: Jerry Reilly,
Sports Information Director

DATE: Tues., April 29, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Women's Lacrosse

Blue Devils fall, still qualify for SUNYACs

FREDONIA, N.Y. -- Fredonia State women's lacrosse coach Chris Case wanted his players to focus on the task at hand Tuesday, so he kept some good news from them as they battled Buffalo State at University Stadium.

So when the visiting Bengals (9-3, 7-1 SUNYAC) scored on a free-position shot by Kate Henderson with 2:18 left in the fourth overtime, the Blue Devils (11-5, 4-4 SUNYAC) gathered in a circle following a heartbreaking 10-9 Senior Day loss not knowing whether or not they had earned the program's first-ever SUNYAC Tournament berth.

Dejected expressions gave way to smiles with Case told his players they had already earned a spot in the SUNYAC Tournament based on the outcome of other games played Tuesday.

"I didn't want them to hear the other scores," Case said, "and then have them hanging their heads because we were out (of the playoffs)." Instead, he kept his players in suspense as to outcome of the Brockport at Geneseo game (a 11-9 Brockport win) as well as Oneonta's 19-2 home win over Morrisville State. As a result, there is a three-way tie for fourth place in the conference, with the Blue Devils earning the No. 4 playoff seed based on goal-differential in games against Geneseo and Oneonta earlier this season.

The Blue Devils, a SUNYAC tournament participant after 12 years of missing out, will face No. 1 seed, tournament host, and No. 23 ranked Cortland at 12:30 p.m. Friday, while No. 2 seed Buffalo State and No. 3 Brockport will square off at 3 p.m. The two Friday winners will play noon Saturday for the SUNYAC title and the automatic NCAA Division III tournament berth.

The Blue Devils squandered a 7-4 lead against Buffalo State. Held to just two goals in the final 44:10, they required the goalkeeping of senior Sarah Wright (Rochester/Irondequoit) to keep things in order. Wright, honored before the game along with six other seniors, finished with 20 saves to tie her own single-game school record (set twice previously during the 2006 season).

Offensively, Fredonia State was led by senior attacker Christie Zaganiaczyk (Lancaster) with five goals -- including her team's only two of the second half -- and freshman attacker Laura Culhane (Rochester/Gates-Chili) with one goal and school-record tying four assists. Sophomore defender Emily Reichert (Henrietta/Rush-Henrietta) collected eight groundballs and had six caused turnovers. She also assisted Zaganiaczyk on the game-tying goal with 10:34 left in regulation.

In addition to Wright and Zaganiaczyk, the other Blue Devil seniors appearing in their final regular-season home game were midfielder Stephanie Maderer (Orchard Park), defender Janelle Giehl (Rochester/Irondequoit), midfielder Nicole VanEtten (Endicott/Union-Endicott), attacker Leslie Von Pless (Liverpool), and midfielder Rebecca Erlichman (Pittsford/Pittsford-Mendon).

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FREDONIA STATE/BUFFALO STATE BOXSCORE

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