Seven Mustangs Score as No. 1 Cal Poly Gallops Past No. 20 Pennsylvania 14-4 & Into National Club Title Game

Greta Carroll

DAVIS, Calif. --  On the day of the Kentucky Derby, seven Mustang players scored as No. 1-nationally ranked and defending national champion California Polytechnic State University overpowered No. 20 University of Pennsylvania 14-4 to advance to its third straight National Collegiate Club Championship title game.

The 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2008 National Champions, Cal Poly will face either No. 2 Notre Dame or No. 6 Oregon for the title on Sunday, May 3 at 12:45 p.m.

In addition, the Mustangs become the first team to return to the title game to defend its title since the 2004 and 2005 Cal Poly clubs which knocked off Dartmouth in successive years to defend the 2003 and 2004 titles.  Ironically, Cal Poly, the No. 1 team in the latest national poll, will seek to erase the "Curse of Uno" as no team ranked at the top of the poll the week of the National Collegiate Club Championship has ever won the title.

Cal Poly put any doubts to rest quickly of its intentions to advance to the program's seventh title game in eight years after defeating Michigan State University (2003), Dartmouth College (2004-05), and University of Oregon (2008) for titles, while falling to Michigan State (2002) and Fresno State University (2007).

Kristin Gause (Sr., San Jose, Calif.) opened the scoring for the Green and Gold with 4:24 left in the first period by finishing an inside pass over the shoulder of Penn netminder Elizabeth Lawrence (Jr., Menands, N.Y.).  Erika Bigbie (So., Escondido, Calif.) polished off the period with a natural goal at 2:54 off a cross pass and a five-meter penalty shot at 1:52 to build the Mustangs' lead.

The margin ballooned to 5-0 71 seconds into the second period as Jessica Wilson (Jr., Moraga, Calif.) punched in a man-up tally at 6:30 and Bigbie completed a hat-trick at 5:49 with a breakaway goal for the eventual game-winner.

Soleil Roberts (Gr., Yardley, Pa.) shattered the Mustangs' dreams of a shoutout semifinal win less than a minute later with an outside shot which eluded Cal Poly goalie Noelle Wondergem (So., Arroyo Grande, Calif.) at 4:54, but the national champs responded with a vengeance.

2008 National Player of the Year Sarah Ur (So., Lompoc, Calif.) returned her team's five goal lead by driving to the cage, stopping, turning her defender and uncorking a blazing shot from set which rocked the cage at 4:23 to push the margin out to 6-1.  Roxanne Eastwood (Jr., Riverside, Calif.) tacked on a fast-break marker at 3:40 to build the lead to 7-1 before Winnie Eastwood (Gr., Carlsbad, Calif.) struck for Penn's second score with a man-up goal at the 2:28 mark to pull the Quakers back to within five.

The teams traded goals to end the first half as Taylor Feezor (So., San Jose, Calif.) broke away for her team's eighth goal at 1:23 and Penn's Eastwood flipped in a man-up score at the end of half buzzer to set the score at 8-3 at intermission.

Penn attempted to climb back into the game to open the second half when Natasa Kordic (Jr., Sacramento, Calif.) connected on a set shot 21 seconds into the third period, but the Mustangs broke out of the gate with consecutive man-up goals by Eastwood and Ur at 2:12 and 1:19, respectively, to start a six-goal onslaught by Cal Poly to the end of game horn.

Leading 10-4 to open the fourth period, the Mustangs continued to run-away with the game as Greta Carroll (Sr., Santa Cruz, Calif.) cashed in on a breakaway opportunity at 6:05, Bigbie tacked on her fourth goal with a catch-and-shoot man-up marker at the 5:26 mark, Ur chipped in another man-up goal at 4:45 and Feezor chipped in a natural goal off a counter attack with 25 ticks left on the game clock for the 14-4 final.

In goal, Wondergem only had to be mediocre anchor betwen the pipes making four saves as her defense stymied the Quakers' offensive attack for much of the contest.  For Penn, Lawrence recorded two saves as the Quakers will continue the championship at 11:30 a.m. in the third place game versus the loser of the other semfinal game between Notre Dame and Oregon. 

Cal Poly Goals: Erika Bigbie (4); Sarah Ur (3); Roxanne Eastwood (2); Taylor Feezor (2); Kristin Gause; Greta Carroll; Jessica Wilson

Penn Goals: Winnie Eastwood (2); Natasa Kordic; Soleil Robert

Saves: Cal Poly - Noelle Wondergem (4) ; Penn - Elizabeth Lawrence (2)  

Ejections: Cal Poly - 7 ; Penn - 11

Sprints: Cal Poly - 2 (Kristin Gause - 1st, 2nd) ; Penn - 2 (Soleil Roberts - 3rd; Winnie Eastwood - 4th)