Wildcats dominate to become champions!

 

Larry and Alana celebrate the championship.

The Johnson & Wales University women's lacrosse team turned in a determined, gritty performance as they played their best game of the year to beat St. Joseph's College of Maine Saturday afternoon on their home turf by a score of 10-6 to capture the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) title.
The Wildcats led wire to wire, holding leads of 2-0 and 5-3 after the first two quarters, respectively, and 8-5 after three, before a lockdown defensive game limited the Monks to just one goal in the fourth quarter while the Cats added two more to expand their lead to four goals with about 2 minutes to go. From there, the Wildcats used the clock to their advantage as they claimed the dramatic victory.
Goalie Emma Glyman, who deservedly was named the Most Valuable Player of the playoffs, made seven key saves and complemented the Wildcats' tenacious defense.


When time ran out, a wild celebration took place on the field, with one player even doing back-flips to celebrate the hard-fought win.
After the trophy presentation, parents and players mingled with the coaches and took photos with the championship cup in what had to be a proud moment for first-year head coach Maria Patane, who provided steady leadership throughout the season.
The game report, as it appears on the JWU website, follows:
*****

Alana holds up the GNAC title cup.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Sophomore and Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament MVP Emma Glyman made seven saves to backstop the top-seeded Johnson & Wales (RI) University women's lacrosse team to a 10-6 win over Saint Joseph's College of Maine Saturday afternoon at the Scotts Miracle-Gro Athletic Complex.

Senior Taina Gamory scored three goals and set up two more as the Wildcats (16-2) capped a perfect 16-0 run through the conference (13-0 regular season; 3-0 playoffs) and captured their fifth title in program history. Sophomore Madeleine Gould added two goals and an assist while senior Ally Wilson and junior Katie Sloan each scored twice.

JWU led 2-0 after one behind goals from Gamory at 11:29 and junior Maris DiBeneditto at 3:34. Each team found the back of the net three times in the second, allowing the Wildcats to settle into a 5-3 halftime lead. The Monks (16-4) – who outshot the home team 13-12 through the first 30 minutes – received a pair of first-half goals from Brianna Paul while Gould potted her 60th for JWU.

The Wildcats and Monks traded the first six goals of the second half – highlighted by two from Sloan and two from Lydia Dexter of STJ – to send the game to the fourth with JWU ahead 8-5. Dexter's third of the day and 85th of the season brought the Monks to within two at 8-6 with seven minutes remaining, however Wilson converted a free position attempt with 5:16 remaining to push the JWU lead back to two at 8-6. Gould added an insurance marker with 1:45 left to seal the win.

Sophomore Isabella Nugent won four draw controls to pace JWU, which held a 26-23 shots advantage.

Glyman, Gamnory, Gould, Wilson, and senior Margaret Johnson were named to the All-Tournament Team from JWU while Dexter, Heather Rohr, and Shauna Clark were chosen from STJ.