It wasn’t the path they usually take, but in the end, Adelphi ended up in the same place.

Less than three weeks after hitting the low-point of the season, a shocking loss at home to seventh-seeded Merrimack in the NE10 Tournament’s quarterfinal round, Adelphi is now celebrating another national championship. 

The Panthers defeated West Chester, 11-5, in Sunday’s NCAA final in Allendale, Mich., to claim their ninth NCAA Division II women’s lacrosse title and their fourth in the past six years. 

Adelphi improved to 9-1 all-time in championship games, with four of those victories coming against West Chester (2004, 2006, 2010, 2019). The Golden Rams, champions in 2002 and 2008, finished as national runner-up for the eighth time.

“That loss to Merrimack certainly got our attention and forced us take a closer look at some of the things we were doing,” said head coach Pat McCabe. “It hurt, and we had to do a reset.”

The Panthers capitalized on their second chance. The unveiling of the NCAA tournament field on May 5 was greeted with more passion than McCabe had seen in prior years. 

“We had the most excitement we’ve ever had during the NCAA announcement,” McCabe said. “We had a renewed sense of purpose and a new chance to make some noise.”

On Sunday, the Panthers seized control early, jumping out to a 6-0 lead through the first 20 minutes and eventually stretching their advantage to 8-1 at halftime. Kole Pollock, Chelsea Abreu and Lena Riportella each scored two goals in the first half, while Adelphi’s pressure caused multiple West Chester turnovers in addition to several unforced errors. 

The seven-goal halftime deficit was the largest of the year for the Golden Rams, whose two other losses this season were in overtime. West Chester scored the first three goals of the second half to close to within 8-4 with 10:55 remaining, but Adelphi answered with the next three tallies to maintain its control. 

“We did a nice job on the draw today and controlled the middle of the field,” McCabe said. “Our defense was really, really good.”

McCabe was also quick to note that finishing a perfect 20-of-20 on clears should not be overlooked.

“That means a lot because your team is not playing extra defense and expending more energy,” he said. “You want to be efficient and not give up any easy goals, which can happen when you have turnovers.”

The 2019 season has been unlike any other in Adelphi’s deep championship pedigree. The Panthers did not hold the top spot in the Top 20 poll at any time this year, and won the NCAA’s East Regional as the number three seed, their lowest ever. They also entered the postseason with a different perspective.

“There was a new excitement for us, almost like we were on the outside looking in,” McCabe said. “We had more of a hunter’s mentality, which was a unique perspective for us. But we embraced that.” 

Adelphi avenged two of its regular season losses in the regional, posting a lopsided 16-3 win over LIU Post in the first round and an 8-7 overtime win over top-ranked Le Moyne in the regional final.

In Friday’s national semifinal against undefeated Regis, the Panthers built an early 5-1 lead and never trailed as McCabe captured his 100th career win with the 17-10 victory. A similar blueprint on Sunday, featuring a fast start and domination of possession time, completed the rebound from its May 1 loss to Merrimack.

Pollock finished with a team-high four goals in both the semifinal and championship games and was selected as the tournament’s most outstanding player. She finished the year with a team-leading 81 goals. 

“She was amazing this weekend and throughout the entire year. She’s a special player,” McCabe said.

Riportella, who joined the Panthers last year as a transfer from Hofstra, added three goals in Sunday’s win, while junior Alison Johnson had one goal, one assist and finished the year with 105 points. 

Adelphi finished the season at 19-3.

Ryan McKinney and Devon Mela led West Chester (20-3) with two goals each. The Rams, who tied a school-record for wins in a season, had their 14-game winning streak snapped with the loss.

“We weren’t dominant this year, but we were good, and good enough,” McCabe said. “That was just who we were.”