March 10
East Chapel Hill Wildcats Shred Falcons, 3-10

Maybe it was the cool weather. Maybe it was nerves. Maybe it was the memory of the disappointing loss in last year's Semi-Finals. Or maybe it was the cowbells. Whatever "it" was caused the Lady Falcons to leave their game behind.

It was a night for defense. Christina "the wall" Demetros, thwarted attack after attack to the crease with awesome blocks and interceptions. Jenna Lang and Ali Brown both drew charges. Goalie Katie Worsdale kept a close watch on the cage but ventured out every so often to excite the crowd. Mandy Blackburn forced turnovers in front of the Falcon goal, then she, Lauren "Coz" Cosentino and Kelly Reiser came out on top on some ground ball tussles. But it was not enough, as the Wildcats put 10 points on the board before the night was done, and the Falcon offense failed to respond in kind.

Some memorable moments could still be found. The first Falcon point came when they were down 0-2. Lang beautifully connected with Kelly Reiser, who flipped it in on a quick-stick. "Sweet shot!" Kathy Worsdale was heard shouting in the stands. Deirdre O'Connor opened the second half with an exciting sneak-from-behind check on the goalie, who had wandered out of the cage. Unfortunately, an opportunity on an empty cage was missed. Lang's attempt on penalty made Mom nervous in the stands, but not to worry... moments later, a Wildcat dived for a ball behind the crease and knocked Lang over, and when she took the ball in, she connected to Logan Kaznowski who in turn connected with the back of the net for the second Falcon point.

With the score at 2-8, Coz came up from a ground ball tussle in front of the cage and flicked the ball. But was it good? The crowd held its breath for what seemed like forever before the ref blew the whistle to signal the point. When Brown picked up a ground ball and charged down the field on a breakaway, the crowd cheered with hope but no score resulted. Then when Brown drew her charge, Coz was inspired to shake her hand. And as if to top her Myers Park ending, Worsdale drew an attacker or two outside the cage in the final seconds of the game. But it wasn't enough to just dodge and weave. She added a tumble or two to her repertoire. When Worsdale was found to be intact, she was allowed to finish the last 1.5 seconds of the game.

Contributed by Ri-Shea Schlitter

Photos contributed by Scott Brown