Hoboken, N.J. – The Ithaca women's lacrosse team (11-6) was edged by 10th-ranked Stevens Institute of Technology (15-3), 10-9, in the Empire 8 championship game on Sunday afternoon. Despite outshooting the Ducks 12-6 in the second period, Stevens netted three goals to the Bombers' two to snap a 7-7 halftime stalemate.

The Ducks looked to stay a step ahead of the Bombers in the first half, but an Ithaca comeback knotted the game at 7-7 entering intermission. The teams twice exchanged scores in the second period, but it was a Stevens goal at 6:10, which the Bombers failed to answer, that proved to be the game-winner.

Junior Nicole Borisenok (Albany Academy for Girls/Watervliet) recorded a game-high four goals, senior Katie Hurley (Honeoye Falls-Lima/Honeoye Falls) added a hat trick and sophomore Tracy Rivas (East Meadow/East Meadow) put a pair of scores in the back of the net to account for the Bombers' nine goals. Rivas and senior Ali DeCirce (Binghamton/Binghamton) each dished out a pair of assists. Hurley won a game-high four draws, with Rivas tallying three.

Junior Siobhan Sullivan (Franklin/Franklin, Mass.) and keeper sophomore Jess Worthman (Hauppauge/Commack) collected three grounds balls each for the Bombers. Worthman suffered the loss in goal having made seven saves.

Stevens opened scoring 2:02 into action before Hurley capitalized on a DeCirce assist to bring the game to 1-1. The Ducks answered to retake the lead, but Hurley struck at 21:41 to again bring the game to a stalemate. Stevens won the ensuing draw control and marched downfield to score its first of four consecutive.

Trailing 6-2, Ithaca pieced together three straight to bring the game within one. Rivas fed Borisenok at the 10-minute mark before Rivas tallied her first of the game at 7:11. Borisenok netted another on a DeCirce feed at 5:53 bringing the game to 6-5.

Stevens improved their gap to 7-5 at 4:48 but Rivas found the crosse of Hurley 41 seconds later to come within one. Senior Melanie Braun (Webster-Thomas/Webster) forced a Ducks turnover with 22 seconds lingering in the half that ultimately led to a Rivas goal with three ticks remaining on the clock to bring the game to a 7-7 deadlock.

Eight and a half scoreless minutes opened the second stint before Stevens broke the tie. Borisenok responded within the minute to again even the game. The Ducks returned to the top with a score at 16:38, but Borisenok put away a free position goal at 10:54 to knot the game at 9-9. Stevens netted the game's final goal following a Ducks timeout to earn the Empire 8's automatic berth to the NCAA Championship Tournament. Stevens made a pair of key saves on Ithaca's two shots taken during the final six minutes of action.

Ithaca outshot Stevens, 24-19 and won 13 draw controls to the Ducks' seven, while Stevens led the ground-ball count 14-9.

Box Score