Late goal lifts Onondaga over Monroe for national title

ROCHESTER - Onondaga Community College picked the perfect time to take its first lead of the game in the 2012 NJCAA women's lacrosse championship.

Morgan Corso (Camillus, NY/West Genesee) scored with three seconds remaining in regulation to give OCC an exciting 6-5 win over Monroe Community College in
the national title game.

It is the second national championship for the Lazers (14-2), who also won in their inaugural season in 2009.

The Tribunes finish 16-3.  MCC had won the previous two national championships.

The opening 30 minutes saw the teams trade momentum, as MCC scored the first three goals before Onondaga rattled off three of their own to tie the game at the break.

The teams exchanged goals in the second half, with Lexi Wilensky (Syracuse, NY/Corcoran) picking off a pass and scoring to give Monroe a 5-4 lead with 19:52 left in the game.

The score remained that way late in regulation.  Corso, who scored five goals in the semifinal against Nassau but had been shut out by the Tribune defense up to that point, came through with the equalizer with 2:03 left.

Onondaga then won the ensuing faceoff and maintained possession in the Tribune zone.  With time running out, Corso got the ball and delivered the game-winner.

Corso was named the tournament's Offensive Most Valuable Player.  OCC goalie Lauren Webster (Fayetteville, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius) made 10 saves and was the Defensive MVP.

Monroe jumped out to the early advantage, as Kelly Reilly (Corning, NY/Corning East) scored seven and a half minutes in for a 1-0 lead.  Melissa Smith (Geneva, NY/Geneva) and Taylor Wingerden (Macedon, NY/Palmyra-Macedon) then converted to give MCC a 3-0 lead midway though the half.

The Lazers then captured the momentum with three straight of their own.  Angela Vespa (Watertown, NY/IHC) got OCC on the board with 11:51 remaining, and Leea Sinay (Marcellus, NY/Marcellus) and Chelsea Weaver (Owego, NY/Owego) also scored to make it 3-3 at the break.

Reilly again got things rolling for MCC in the second half, as her second goal gave the Tribunes a 4-3 lead.  But the Lazers again had a response, as Vespa notched her second to draw the teams even.

Wilensky then came through with a huge play for Monroe, intercepting a pass from Webster and racing back upfield to beat the OCC goalie for a 5-4 lead.  The same sequence actually occurred just a few ticks of the clock later, but this time Wilensky's attempt hit the post and bounded away.

Corso then came through with the game-tying and game-winning goals for the Lazers.

Sinay, Vespa, and Chelsea Maitland (Elbridge, NY/Jordan-Elbridge) joined Corso and Webster on the All-Tournament team.  OCC head coach Tom MacDonald was named Coach of the Tournament.

Remle Harr (Fairport, NY/Fairport) stopped five shots and was named to the All-Tournament team for Monroe.  She was joined by Hannah Barnett (Gorham, NY/Marcus Whitman), Kara Lyon (Penn Yan, NY/Marcus Whitman), and Jamie Archer (Gorham, NY/Marcus Whitman).