April 21, 2008

Duke Rally Falls Short Against Vanderbilt, 11-10

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The No. 7 Duke Blue Devils mounted a furious comeback late in the second half but came up just one goal short, dropping an 11-10 contest against the No. 13 Vanderbilt Commodores at the Vanderbilt Soccer/Lacrosse Complex.

With 9:50 remaining, Vanderbilt went up 11-7 and had been leading since 13 minutes into the first period. However, the Blue Devils tallied three goals in 4:42 to bring themselves within one with 4:53 left in the contest.

The Commodores won the ensuing draw control, but a save on a free-position shot by junior Kim Imbesi led to a Danielle Kachulis ground ball and a clear for the Blue Devils. After a timeout, Kachulis beat her defender one-on-one and took a shot that senior goaltender Brooke Shinaberry saved.

Vanderbilt would hold onto the ball until 18 seconds were left, when freshman midfielder Emma Hamm caused a turnover and picked up the ground ball. Junior attacker Carolyn Davis took the re-start after a foul by the `Dores and went through three defenders to the goal, where her shot went just wide with two seconds left. Sophomore midfielder Lindsay Gilbride attempted to get a shot off before time expired, but it was not to be.

Northwestern Drops Tar Heels, 16-3

EVANSTON. Ill. - Northwestern jumped out to a 9-0 lead and defeated North Carolina, 16-3, in collegiate women's lacrosse action from Lakeside Field on Sunday afternoon. The three-time defending NCAA champion Wildcats (15-0 in 2008) have won 36 consecutive games.

Hannah Nielsen led Northwestern with three goals and two assists. Casey Donohoe, the older sister of UNC freshman Corey Donohoe, scored three times and Katrina Dowd had two goals and an assist.

For the Tar Heels, Kristen Taylor tallied two goals and Corey Donohoe scored once while Chelsea Parks had an assist.

The only team to beat Northwestern in over two calendar years was Carolina, which took a 9-8 overtime decision on Feb. 17, 2007, in last season's opener for both teams in Chapel Hill. The Wildcats have won national championships in each of the last three seasons.