SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – No. 5-ranked Benedictine Women's Lacrosse secured the program's first-ever NAIA National Championship on Saturday with a 9-8 win over No. 1-ranked, and championship host, Lawrence Tech.
Clare Ryan scored off an assist from Natalie Wechter with 4:08 left in the game and then the Ravens held on to upset the Blue Devils for the championship in the NAIA's second-ever National Championship Tournament.
The Ravens were the first to find the back of the net when Erica Odell scored off an assist from Ryan inside the first three minutes of the game. The two teams traded goals with Lawrence Tech scoring two straight before Ryan scored off an assist from Aidan McEnerney to send the game into the quarter break tied at 3-3.
The teams combined for two goals in the second quarter to send the game to halftime tied. Odell and Margaux Gelbach scored the first two goals out of the halftime break to pull Benedictine back in front 6-5 with under five minutes remaining in the third quarter. Another Lawrence Tech goal tied the game before Odell and Wechter combined for two goals inside the final minute with Odell scoring two unanswered.
The two-goal advantage held up throughout the fourth quarter as Lawrence Tech was able to tie the game before Ryan's game-winning goal. The Ravens did score an insurance goal after Ryan's goal when Rianna England broke away and scored from distance, but it was disallowed for an illegal stick.
Gianna Stalletti answered the call in goal for the Ravens. She finished the championship game with 14 saves, tallying 6 of those in the second half. Benedictine held a 12-9 advantage in draw controls with Gelbach leading the way with 4. Benedictine finished the second half with a 7-4 advantage in draw controls, which helped with possession and to maintain their advantage.
Benedictine finished 2 of 3 on free-position shots and scored two man-down goals in the second half. Odell led the Ravens with 4 goals, Gelbach and Ryan added two while Grace Simonson scored 1 goal. Wechter led the Ravens with 4 assists while McEnerney and Ryan finished with 1 assist each.
The Ravens finish the season at 16-1 while Lawrence Tech suffers their first loss of the season to finish at 17-1.
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