CHAMPIONS! Women’s Lacrosse Wins Atlantic 10 Championship On Egizi’s OT Goal

Sunday, May 6

Robins Stadium

12PM

University of Richmond

16-3, 8-1

Massachusetts

14-5, 8-1

UMASS

Richmond

CHAMPIONS! Women’s Lacrosse Wins Atlantic 10 Championship On Egizi’s OT Goal

05/06/2018 | Women's Lacrosse

Box Score

UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. – For the first time since 2007 and the fourth time in program history, the University of Richmond women's lacrosse team is Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament Champions, as the Spiders won a thrilling 12-11 overtime contest against nine-time defending champion and top-seeded Massachusetts Sunday afternoon at Robins Stadium.

The victory gave the Spiders their program-record 16^th victory of the season, heading to the NCAA Tournament with a 16-3 overall record.

With the win, the Spiders have earned the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament and will wait to hear their name during the NCAA Tournament Selection Show Sunday night at 9:30 p.m. on NCAA.com.

Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Year Kim Egizi scored the game-winning goal 35 seconds into the first overtime period as she beat her UMass goalkeeper Lauren Hiller to send the Spiders into the massive celebration. The goal was her fourth of the game and eighth of the A-10 Tournament, earning herself Most Outstanding Player honors for the week. Her 13 total points in the two Spiders' victories are second-most in Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament history.

Along with Egizi, the Spiders place four more on the All-Tournament team in sophomore goalkeeper Megan Gianforte, junior attack Marissa Brown, junior attack Mia Castagnero and junior defender Julie Ball.

The Spiders started the game quickly as Egizi tallied her 60^th goal of the season just 2:20 into the game. UMass would answer right back with two goals in 1:20 of play, taking a 2-1 lead. Richmond responded with two-straight goals as Castagnero tied the game and Egizi notched her 61^st of the year for the 3-2 lead.

After UMass tied the game, the Spiders scored three-straight goals taking a 6-3 lead with 13:54 remaining. Brown tallied her sixth of the Atlantic 10 Tournament before Castagnero added her second of the game and Aly Fries put Richmond in front by three goals.

The Minutewomen came back with a pair of goals to pull within one at 6-5 before Egizi notched a first half hat trick pushing the cushion back to two. Once again, UMass trimmed the lead to one at the 3:21 mark of the first half but Castagnero gave the Spiders an 8-6 lead heading into the locker room with her third of the half.

UMass opened the second half by scoring the first three goals in a five-minute span to take its first lead since early in the game at 9-8. The Spiders answered right back just 39 seconds later when Julia Schmuckler scored her first of the game, tying the contest at 9-9.

Richmond retook the lead with 16:56 remaining in the half as Katie Trainer got into the scoring act with her first of the game and third of the tournament for the 10-9 advantage. The goals kept coming for the Spiders, as Castagnero posted her fourth of the game to put Richmond back in front by two at 11-9.

UMass would force overtime with two goals in the final eight minutes, including the tying goal with 2:13 remaining by Kaitlyn Cerasi. Gianforte made a huge save with 58.0 seconds remaining to keep the game tied on her way to a 14-save effort, her second-highest total of the season.

Ball won a game-high seven draw controls, including the opening draw in overtime, while Caroline Queally won four and Egizi three to take a 14-11 advantage in the game.