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Silvestri Scores in Final Minutes to Help Washington & Jefferson Overcome Connecticut 6-5 in CWPA Division III Tournament Opening Round
UTICA, N.Y. -- Kate Silvestri (Sr., Kingsville, Md./McDonogh) skipped a man-up shot into the back of the cage with 2:17 left on the game clock as Washington & Jefferson College knocked off Connecticut College 6-5 in the opening round the 2010 Collegiate Water Polo Association Division III Championship at Utica College.
The game was a back-and-forth affair in which the Connecticut College Camels led 1-0, 2-1, 3-2, 4-3 and 5-4 before Kate Van Schaik (Jr., Arnold, Md./St. Mary's) lobbed a shot from half tank at 3:21 and Silvestri nailed the kill-shot with 2:17 remaining in the fourth period to cap the Presidents' comeback victory.
For Connecticut, the Player of the Game was Kristin Lampley (Fr., Reading, Pa./Governor Mifflin) who finished with a hat-trick in leading the Camels to the near upset of Washington & Jefferson.
Lampley opened the scoring 50 seconds into the contest with an outside shot to stake Connecticut to a 1-0 lead. Jessica Barby (Sr., Sinking Spring, Pa./Wilson) responded for W&J with a lob shot from two-meters out with 6:16 left in the opening frame, but Lampley struck again at 5:52 with another outside shot to put the Camels back in front 2-1.
Van Schaik netted the equalizer 22 seconds later at 5:30 to make it 2-2 as neither team could muster much offense over the final minutes of the period.
The Camels rediscovered the cage 27 seconds into the second period as Jordan Kohnstam (Sr., Portland, Conn./Loomis Chaffee) connected on a shot at the 7:33 mark. However, the Presidents vetoed the lead 18 seconds later as Sarah Cull (So., Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville) accepted a pass on the wing and put the ball into the back of the cage at 7:15 to even the damage at 3-3.
After trading man-up chances without an offensive shot, Connecticut regained the momentum and the lead courtesy an outside shot on a man-up opportunity by Phoebe Bakanas (Sr., Redding, Conn./Joel Barlow) to make it 4-3. Silvestri foreshadowed her eventual game-winner by collecting a cross pool feed which which she skipped past goalie Pamela Lovejoy (Fr., Guilford, Conn./Hopkins School) with 20 seconds left in the period to set the scoreboard at 4-4 through 24 minutes of competition.
Lampley returned the Camels to the lead 1:55 into the fourth period with a bomb from the outside which eluded W&J goalie Polly Ziegler (Sr., Palo Alto, Calif./Palo Alto) to put Connecticut back in front at 5-4. However, the Presidents turned to Van Schaik and Silvestri while holding the Camels to three shots over the final five minutes of play to earn the come-from-behind victory.
Between the pipes, Ziegler turned aside three shots to earn the victory, while Lovejoy took the loss with five stops.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | -- | Final | |
| Connecticut College | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | -- | 5 |
| Washington & Jefferson College | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -- | 6 |
W&J Goals: Kate Van Schaik (2); Kate Silvestri (2); Jessica Barby; Sarah Cull
Conn. Goals: Kristin Lampley (3); Phoebe Bakanas; Jordan Kohnstam
Saves: W&J - Polly Ziegler (3) ; Conn. - Pamela Lovejoy (5)
Exclusions: W&J - 3 ; Conn. - 2
Advantage Opportunities: W&J - 1-for-2 ; Conn. - 1-for-3
Sprints: W&J - 0-for-4 ; Conn. - 4-for-4
