St. Bonaventure

DAVIDSON, N.C. – An eight-goal scoring surge in the first half from second-seeded VCU was too much for the St. Bonaventure women's lacrosse team to overcome Friday afternoon in the semifinals of the Atlantic 10 Tournament as the third-seeded Bonnies fell, 18-11, to the Rams.

A-10 Midfielder of the Year selection senior Brooke Piper paced SBU with five points on four goals and one assist.
 
The Rams (13-4) put the first eight goals of the game on the board before the midway point of the second quarter, jumping out to a huge lead which the Bonnies (11-8) would try to claw back from for the remainder of the game. Half of the goals in that early VCU run came from free position scores following Bonaventure fouls.
 
Despite the tough start, the Brown and White showed resilience with back-to-back goals midway through the second quarter. As the Rams applied extra pressure on a cutting Megan Schillinger, the All-Conference Second Team selection found her classmate, Rylee Gonzalez, for a point-blank goal. After Piper won the ensuing draw, the Rams were called for a penalty. The Bonnies capitalized in the final moments of the power play with a goal from sophomore Sidney Van Tassel.
 
Both teams would score once more before the halftime break with SBU's tally coming courtesy of Piper. The senior was fouled hard with just under 30 seconds to play in the half and buried the awarded free position attempt for the team's third goal of the day.
 
A much more evenly fought second half saw the Bonnies score eight goals to the Rams' nine, though the No. 2 seed was still well in control throughout the final 30 minutes and specifically successful in controlling the middle area during Bonaventure's time on attack. The Bonnies registered a trio of third quarter goals off the sticks of Schillinger, senior Grace Hollenbeck and freshman Gracie Williams, but the Rams responded each and every time with at least one goal of their own.
 
Entering the fourth quarter at a score of 14-6 in favor of VCU, SBU was not prepared to go down quietly. After weathering two scores from VCU including a fifth and final goal from junior midfielder Sam Palmer, the Bonnies punched in three goals in a row to catch some momentum. Piper accounted for two of those goals and Schillinger contributed the other, capitalizing on a power play.
 
Though Piper notched her fourth goal of the day with a minute remaining and Williams found pay dirt in the final 15 seconds, the damage had already been done and the Rams were able to watch the clock tick down to zeroes, signaling their advancement to the conference title game against No. 4 Davidson which upset top seed Richmond earlier in the day. 
  
The Bonnies ended the season with 11 wins, the highest single-season total for the program since it won a record-setting 14 games in 2006.
 
GAME NOTES

• In her final game, Brooke Piper posted a major stat line of five points, four goals, one assist, nine draw controls, three groundballs and a caused turnover to close one of the finest careers in Bonaventure history. 
• Senior and A-10 All-Conference Second Team member Megan Schillinger ended the day as the Bonnies' runner up with four points on two goals and two assists, adding four draw controls.
• The two programs each fired 26 total shots and went perfect on clears. The Rams went 15-for-15 while the Bonnies went 10-for-10.
• SBU dominated from the draw control circle, controlling 21 draws to VCU's 10. The Rams gained some of that momentum back by winning the turnover battle, 12-5.
• VCU was awarded eight free position shots while SBU was awarded just three.

QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH LEIGHANN STAUFFER
"As sad as it is to have our season come to an end, my heart is extremely full. I feel nothing but grateful to be a part of this program and to know the people in it. I'm thankful for my staff, the administration, the families and all of St. Bonaventure who believed in us and supported us."

"To the senior class, you are some of the greatest people I will ever know. You left a legacy that will live on for years to come and that is something I hope you carry with you for a lifetime. I love you forever. We'll be back next year. Go Bonnies!"

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