Box Score
Washington, DC — With just under two minutes to play in regulation at Wednesday's NCAA Tournament First Round contest at the 11th-ranked Catholic University of America, Messiah was staring directly at déjà vu.
Freshman Meghan Doolittle had just scored a go-ahead goal with 1:54 to play, almost an exact replication from the waning moments of Saturday's MAC Championship game at 16th-ranked Elizabethtown College.
On a dreary, rain-spitting Wednesday, all Messiah needed to do was run out the clock, and the team was on its way to the program's first NCAA Tournament win since the 2006 season.
But that would prove to be the hard part.
The Falcons coughed up what would be the game-changing turnover with just 41 seconds to play, a giveaway that the host Cardinals would turn into a goal just 18 seconds later.
As regulation ended in an 8-8 deadlock, it was a deeper Catholic squad that took advantage in overtime, notching the extra periods' only score with 16 seconds to play in the first session.
Messiah's miraculous season would end in an utterly heartbreaking 9-8 decision.
“This is tough,” said second-year head coach Heather Greer. “To be this close and have it end like this … well, it's just a hard way to end the year.”
It appeared that fate was on the Falcons' side following a rocky start at Cardinal Stadium, as Messiah (14-5) responded from a 3-0 deficit to pull to a 6-5 lead at the halftime break. Freshman Deb Tam took a feed from Doolittle to break Messiah into the scoring column with 16:05 to play in the first half, while Doolittle followed with the first of two scores just under two minutes later.
After Catholic All-American candidate Kate Robinson made it a 4-2 lead for the hosts, Messiah responded with perhaps its best surge of the day, closing the first half with a 4-1 run: Sophomore Megan Bovenzi, freshman Rachel Coyle and freshman Rachel Dirksen knotted things up with just under four minutes remaining in the period, while a free position shot from Bovenzi gave Messiah its first lead of the day with 2:52 to go before the intermission.
“We struggled a bit early, but we settled down and were able to put some good things together (before the half),” Greer said. “Really, though, this was just a game of turnovers on both ends. We're a team that can handle pressure and apply it, but we did neither very well today.”
Greer's club would finish the day with 28 turnovers — a season high — while 17 of those giveaways would occur during the second half and overtime periods.
Still, the Falcons had a golden opportunity to come out of the D.C. area with an NCAA Tournament win. Dirksen finished a gorgeous shot from close in to put the visitors up by a 7-5 score less than a minute and a half into the second half, while yet another brilliant performance from Messiah's defense kept Catholic's potent offense in check: The Cardinals were held without a second-period goal until the 12:10 mark, when Robinson broke free to cash in her second tally of the day.
The Cardinals then stole the momentum seven and a half minutes later, notching an equalizer goal following a combined five turnovers (and three Messiah shots) at the 4:34 mark. Catholic's Mary Swarthout was able to get inside on Falcons' senior Jen Venter, redirecting a feed from Robinson to knot things up at 7-7.
Needing a spark, Greer's club got one from its defense.
As Robinson won the ensuing draw control for Catholic (16-3), the Falcons' defense stood strong. A Cardinals' turnover quickly transitioned into Messiah offense at the 3:01 mark, as Venter collected the ball and found Coyle streaking down the middle of the field.
Coyle advanced the ball before finding Doolittle on the right hand side, and the Tabernacle, New Jersey native knew exactly what to do: Finding a crease down the right flank, Doolittle slotted a shot to the near side of Catholic goalie Melissa Brashear, putting Messiah up by an 8-7 score with 1:54 to go.
The Cardinals called timeout.
“We basically talked about the upcoming draw and what we were looking for,” Greer said. “I think we were excited, but poised. We knew there was a lot of lacrosse left to play.”
Catholic was able to come up with the ensuing draw control, but senior Brianne Brennan forced a turnover immediately thereafter, scooping the ground ball to give Messiah the invaluable possession.
“It is going to be awfully hard to replace her,” Greer would later say of Brennan. “To hold a player like Kate Robinson to just three goals is really, really impressive.”
Now with the lead and the ball, Greer's club needed to simply milk the clock. Catholic continued to foul in an effort to get the ball back — the Cardinals committed four infractions within 44 ticks of the clock — but Messiah's offense stayed patient, running the clock down to 41 seconds.
But — as was the case for the majority of the contest — the Falcons continued to fight turnovers.
A giveaway with 41 seconds remaining in regulation gave Catholic new life, and the hosts made the most of it.
With time winding down, the Cardinals advanced the ball, as Robinson split two defenders before finding teammate Katie Buonpastore about five feet outside the cage. The Cardinals' sophomore put a low shot past Venter, tying the game with 23 seconds left in regulation and setting off a wild celebration among Catholic fans in the stands.
“I felt that if we went to overtime, they had a major advantage in terms of depth,” Greer said. “We needed that draw with 23 seconds left.”
Messiah did not get it. Catholic won the ensuing draw control — one of 16 out of a total 21 the hosts would capture — getting off a final shot at the horn that Venter was able to save.
Overtime would be a reality.
And, from the start, Catholic owned the majority of possession. The Cardinals fired two shots to start the first three-minute period, the second of which was saved by Venter. The Falcons' goalie couldn't find an open player after the save, however, turning the ball over on a clear attempt. Catholic rattled off two more shots over the next 55 seconds, finally breaking through with 16 seconds to play in the period.
Brennan would help Messiah win the initial draw control in the second overtime period, but the Falcons' final turnover of the day would keep Greer's club from having a chance at an equalizer goal. As Catholic picked up a ground ball with 2:37 to play, Messiah could not get it back. The hosts successfully ran out the game clock, taking a disheartening, 9-8 win with them.
“We had such a young offense this year,” Greer said. “We were battling injury and illness on that side, so I knew that overtime was not the best thing for us. We battled hard, but we just couldn't overcome some of those things.”
It was just Messiah's second NCAA Tournament appearance in the 13-year history of the program, as the 2006 club defeated the University of Mary Washington before falling to top-ranked Gettysburg College.
Wednesday, however, Greer spent the post-game time reflecting upon her seniors, as Brennan, Dando, Venter and Betsy Tyson had played their final collegiate contest.
“What a great group they've been for us,” she said. “Jen had another great game today (13 saves, one caused turnover) and Betsy was such a leader for us as well. Nobody expected us to be MAC Champs. This is a good experience to get our returning players' feet wet in regards to NCAA play, but I really wish it would have lasted just a little bit longer.”
As Messiah traveled home for the final time of the 2009 season, an emotional Brennan spoke on the team's charter bus.
“She was crying and saying that she'd never cried over an athletic event before in her life,” Greer said. “I told her that was because she put so much into this season. I really think we did as well as we did in the post-season because of our defense. They worked so hard until the very end. I'm proud of them. There were no egos, and that was led by our seniors. They never looked for recognition, but only to win. This entire group was just a pleasure to coach.”
