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Ohio Wesleyan 13, Allegheny 9
May 2, 2008
![[ Alexa Deaton ]](../images/deaton5.jpg)
Senior midfielder Alexa Deaton (Eden, Md./Mercersburg Academy) had 2 goals and an assist and senior midfielder Kadi Kuhlenberg (Cincinnati/Anderson) scored 2 goals during a 6-0 run that put Ohio Wesleyan ahead to stay, and junior attacker Hannah Mudge (Baltimore, Md./St. Paul's School) added a pair of second-half goals to extend the lead as the Bishops defeated Allegheny in a semifinal contest of the North Coast Athletic Conference tournament on Friday at Roy Rike Field.
Ohio Wesleyan will face Wooster, an 8-7 winner over Denison in Friday's other semifinal, in the NCAC tournament championship game at 3 p.m. on Saturday at Roy Rike Field, marking the second straight season in which the Battling Bishops and Fighting Scots will vie for the NCAC title. Last year, Wooster defeated Ohio Wesleyan, 13-10, in the championship game.
The winner of Saturday's championship game will win the NCAC title and claim the conference's automatic qualifier into the NCAA Division III playoffs.
Allegheny jumped to a quick 2-0 lead in Friday's semifinal when Lana Cannon scored in the third minute of play and Laura Hoch added a goal just 14 seconds later.
Ohio Wesleyan got on the scoreboard on Kuhlenberg's free position goal, then tied it up at 2-2 when Deaton converted a free position shot just over 6 minutes into the action. Deaton then rang up an unassisted goal to put the Bishops ahead to stay, and Kuhlenberg, Mudge and junior attacker Tara Porter (North Quincy, Mass./Berkshire School) followed with goals that gave the Bishops a 6-2 lead with 1:06 left in the half.
The Gators ended the Bishop run on Jensen Paterson's goal with :22 left in the half, but Ohio Wesleyan opened the second period with scores by Deaton and Kuhlenberg to stretch the lead to 8-3.
Allegheny closed to within 8-5 with scores from Abby Silvester and Ashley Hughes, but the Bishops put the game out of reach with a 5-1 run that included Mudge's 2 goals as well as a goal and an assist apiece from senior attacker Julia Fouts (Cleveland Heights/Hathaway Brown) and senior attacker Polly Burke (Milton, Mass.).
That run gave Ohio Wesleyan a 13-6 lead with just over 5 minutes to play, allowing the Bishops to withstand a pair of Hughes goals and another from Hoch that accounted for the 13-9 final.
Kuhlenberg led the Bishops with 4 goals, while Deaton finished with 3 goals and an assist and Mudge added 3 goals.
Senior Maggie Eichenlaub (Crystal, Minn./Robbinsdale Cooper) stopped 11 shots in the Ohio Wesleyan crease, making 8 saves during the second half alone.
Hughes led the Gators with 3 goals and 2 assists. Lesley Stange had 8 saves for Allegheny.
In Friday's other semifinal, Wooster's Hillary Darragh scored twice during a 4-1 second-half run that lifted the Fighting Scots to the win.
The teams literally traded goals during the first 36 minutes of the game, with Denison scoring to take the lead and Wooster answering to even the game.
The Fighting Scots tied the game at 5-5 on Taryn Higgins's free position goal with 23:41 left in the first half, then took the lead for the first time when Darragh scored right off the ensuing draw.
Denison answered with a score by Sara Langsam, tying the game at 6-6 with 19:27 to play, but the Fighting Scots took the lead on Darragh's free position goal with 16:16 remaining, then added a goal from Nina Dine less than a minute later for an 8-6 lead.
The Big Red responded quickly, pulling within 8-7 as Strathern scored with 14:56 to play, but Wooster held on to take the win.
