BRUNSWICK, MAINE - Senior Marisa Maxwell (Newport, PA) scored her second goal of the game with less than five minutes remaining as the nationally third-ranked Lebanon Valley field hockey team defeated 14th-ranked Cortland, 5-4, in a back-and-forth NCAA Division III second round game Saturday afternoon at Bowdoin College. Cortland ends its season at 16-5, tying for ninth nationally, the 12th consecutive season the Red Dragons have finished tied for ninth or better. The Flying Dutchmen improved to 19-2 and advanced to face fourth-ranked Bowdoin, a 6-0 winner versus Babson in the second round, Sunday at 1 p.m. with a trip to the Final Four on the line.

Senior Brenda Semit (Holland Patent) concluded her Cortland career with two goals, and sophomore Sara Woodward (Pine Plains) also added two scores. Senior Brianna Yetsko (Vestal) and freshmen Erin Smith (Greene) and Karly Vdoviak (Johnstown) each recorded one assist. Senior goalie Ashley Hughes (Selden/Comsewogue) made 13 saves.

Besides Maxwell's two scores, seniors Cait Eckenrode (York, PA/York Suburban) and Shelly Lobach (Hanover, PA/South Western) and junior Jocelyn Novak (Brodheadsville, PA/Pleasant Valley) contributed one goal apiece for Lebanon Valley. Junior goalie Christine Poletti (Leesport, PA/Schuylkill Valley) turned aside nine shots.

Cortland opened up a 3-2 lead at the half as the teams traded goals. Woodward gave the Red Dragons a 1-0 lead just one minute, 56 seconds into the game when she stick handled through traffic and scored her team-high 13th goal of the season. Novak answered at 4:08 on a rebound goal after Hughes made a save on Lobach. Yetsko then set up Semit's first goal on a give-and-go at the 14:08 mark. The lead held until 28:27 when Eckenrode scored on a scramble in from to knot the game at 2-all. Semit, however, tallied her ninth goal of the season just 23 seconds before the half on a shot right in front.

The Flying Dutchmen claimed their first lead of the game with goals less than three minutes apart early in the second half. Lobach knocked a loose ball past Hughes at 42:23, and Maxwell scored her first of the game at 44:54 when she converted a rebound of her own shot denied by Hughes. Woodward responded at 48:38 with her 14th goal of the season, taking a pass from Vdoviak and blasting a shot into the far corner to tie the game at 4-4.

Maxwell struck for the game winner at 65:31. Hughes turned away Maxwell's first bid in front, but the Lebanon Valley senior was able to deposit the rebound to give Lebanon Valley back the lead. Cortland had two chances to send the game into overtime in the closing seconds, but Poletti made saves on Woodward and sophomore Danielle Groneman (East Islip) to clinch the win. 

Lebanon Valley 5, Cortland 4

Scoring Summary (Goals-Assists):
Cortland: Brenda Semit 2-0, Sara Woodward 2-0, Brianna Yetsko 0-1, Ern Smith 0-1, Karly Vdoviak 0-1
Lebanon Valley: Marisa Maxwell 2-0, Jocelyn Novak 1-0, Cait Eckenrode 1-0, Shelly Lobach 1-0

Halftime: Cortland 3, Lebanon Valley 2
Shots: Lebanon Valley 31, Cortland 18
Penalty Corners: Cortland 11, Lebanon Valley 9
Saves: Ashley Hughes (Cortland) 13 (5 GA in 70:00); Christine Poletti (Lebanon Valley) 9 (4 GA in 70:00)
Record after game: Cortland (Red Dragons) 16-5 (ranked 14th in Div. III); Lebanon Valley (Flying Dutchmen) 19-2 (ranked 3rd in Div. III)