Shirley, N.Y. - Trailing 3-0 early in the first half, the No. 10/14 and top-seeded LIU Post women's lacrosse team exploded for eight unanswered goals and never looked back, en route to an 11-6 victory against second-seeded Dowling in the 2015 East Coast Conference Championship final on Saturday at Golden Lions Field.
After Dowling (13-5) jumped out to a 3-0 lead nearly seven minutes in, LIU Post (15-4) Head Coach Meghan McNamara called a timeout to talk things over with her squad.
Following the break in the action, the tide turned for the Pioneers. A free-position goal by junior defender/midfielder Kaitlin Gaghan (North Massapequa, N.Y.) at the 22:34 mark set the stage for a furious rally by the green and gold.
Senior midfielder Jenna Pierro (Holbrook, N.Y.), who was selected as the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament, and sophomore defender/midfielder Cara Douglas (West Islip, N.Y.) scored two goals apiece in the opening 30 minutes. Pierro netted a combined eight tallies in the two postseason contests. Douglas led all players with four goals versus Dowling.
Meanwhile, red-shirt sophomore attacker Emily Delaney (Long Valley, N.J.) dished out three assists in the period, as LIU Post brought a 6-3 advantage into halftime.
In the latter session, the tandem of Pierro and Douglas struck again to pull away. This time, the duo each caged a free-position goal, only 16 seconds apart, to widen the Pioneers' cushion to 8-3 with 27:19 remaining.
Pierro and sophomore attacker Connor Bird (Syosset, N.Y.) both notched three goals and won four draw controls. Delaney allocated four assists and caused one turnover. Senior defender Kali Maxwell (Colorado Springs, Colo.) forced two turnovers and scooped up two draws. Fellow senior defender Emily Hanifan(Hicksville, N.Y.) marked Dowling's Jackie Andersen (Shirley, N.Y.), the 2015 ECC Player of the Year, for much of the contest and caused one turnover.
LIU Post now awaits word on a potential bid to the NCAA Division II Championship. The selection show will air live on Sunday at 8 p.m. on NCAA.com.
Provided by the LIU Post Sports Information Department.
