James Madison is the first CAA team this season to slay the Dragons.
In what became a goalie clinic in the second half, second-seeded James Madison outlasted top-seeded Drexel to capture its fourth straight CAA championship. It was Lizzy Fox who scored the winner in overtime for a 13-12 victory, but it was Molly Dougherty who largely made it possible.
The redshirt-junior goalie made 16 saves, including a key stop in overtime, to keep a potent Drexel offense mostly at bay. Even as Drexel turned a 9-6 deficit into a 12-9 lead with a furious six-goal lead in the second half, Dougherty held firm.
The goalies are standing on their head! 15 saves for Molly Dougherty now for @JMULacrosse | https://t.co/oJkK8CQ2nw #CAALax pic.twitter.com/sFe3XVJTbs
— Lax Sports Network (@LaxSportsNet) May 9, 2021
The Dukes defense stopped the bleeding when down 12-9, allowing the offense to stage a late comeback and force overtime. Taylor Marchetti scored with 4:21 left to cut the score to 12-10, then Emma Greenhill fed Marchetti just over two minutes later to trim the lead to one goal.
Katelyn Morgan scored the equalizer with 1:13 left.
JMU nearly won in regulation, but Drexel goalie Zoe Bennett saved two shots on the doorstep inside 10 seconds remaining to force extra time.
ZOE “BRICK WALL” BENNETT
— US Lacrosse Magazine (@USLacrosseMag) May 9, 2021
The @DrexelWLax goalie makes two saves in the waning seconds to send the CAA title game to overtime pic.twitter.com/xe9F1778ja
After a silent first overtime period, Mairead Durkin won the draw for the Dukes. A Drexel foul positioned Fox on the eight-meter arc with a chance to win, and she converted.
Isabella Peterson scored five goals for James Madison, which no longer needs to stress about making the NCAA tournament during Sunday night’s Selection Show.
The Dragons, whose only two losses this season came to AQ winners (Loyola and James Madison), will now await the selection committee’s decision. Drexel likely falls out of the seeding conversation because of the loss but could still earn an at-large bid.
STAGS WIN THIRD STRAIGHT MAAC CROWN
Fairfield avenged its only loss in the regular season by besting the culprit, Siena, in the MAAC championship game 12-8.
.@StagsWomensLax is going dancing
— US Lacrosse Magazine (@USLacrosseMag) May 9, 2021
The Stags hang on to beat Siena and win the MAAC championship. https://t.co/eSo1XmHOcv
After the first 25 minutes of a contested back-and-forth affair, Fairfield scored two straight when Meaghan Graham fed Elizabeth Talluto and Maggie Fort fed Arianna Lavelle for an 8-6 lead.
Siena cut the deficit back to one goal when Annie Brennan scored just 38 seconds into the second half, but Fairfield closed the game by scoring four of the final five goals.
Diana DeVita led the Stags with four points (two goals, two assists), and Graham tallied three assists. Five Stags — DeVita, Lavelle, Kelly Horning, Ellie Grefenstette and Elizabeth Rowe — scored two goals each.