Cortland has captured more than 100 team and individual national titles throughout the years. While all of these championships have been documented, the time has come to dig deeper into some of these Red Dragon accomplishments with "Title Recall." This feature goes beyond the numbers by gaining insight into the competition itself from the student-athletes and their coaches. We'll gain perspectives into what it takes, both physically and mentally, to be a Cortland champion. Our fourth installment of "Title Recall" takes a look back at women's lacrosse's 2015 NCAA Division III national championship.

Kelly, first game as Cortland head coach, home versus Union. A little dicey for a while, even tied at 8-8 late in the first half before closing game on an 11-2 run. Then a very big win at #1 and 4-0 Gettysburg on the road. After that run against Union and the win at the Bullets, did you get an early sense that this team was special and could break the semifinal jinx and win it all?
 
Head Coach Kelly Orr: Even prior to the first two wins my assistant coach, Anya Eckhardt, and I would talk about this group — we knew there was a lot of talent, but we just needed to find the right combination, and keep grinding.
 
Your only loss of season was at Salisbury with a late comeback coming up short. What was your reaction to that defeat and did that ramp up the focus for the rest of the season?
 
Orr: That was a tough loss, we knew we needed to make end game adjustments, and ultimately just didn't do them early enough. With it still being so early in the season, and us on spring break, it was an opportunity for us to really start getting to know each other on more of a personal level. We always say that's win the team "clicks" and everyone becomes closer. With that loss, we got excited about the possibility of being able to see Salisbury again potentially in the Final Four or even championship.
 
Midfielder Tara Monaghan: The defeat against Salisbury was frustrating and eye-opening. It lit a fire for us to step it up for the rest of the season. It humbled us and made us realize what we needed to work on and that every game would be a battle.
 
Midfielder Ashley Gentile: I remember Salisbury scoring a couple goals right at the beginning. Going into halftime we were only short a couple of goals, but we were ready to come back. We had to deal with some of the craziest opponent's fans in this game, which was very difficult to do. Losing this game really gave us the focus we needed for the rest of the season. It also showed us that we knew how to come back from being behind six goals.
 
Midfielder Emma Hayes-Hurley: Salisbury is the loss we needed. Lit a fire inside of us and humbled us for sure. Brought us back to basics, and we knew we didn't want to feel that way again.

Kelly, heading into the next game, you opted for a goalie change and stuck with Jaclyn Beshlian the rest of the way. What did you see in Beshlian that prompted the move?
 
Orr: Focus. While each of our goalies during the season had her strengths, Jaclyn just edged the others out with determination and focus. I think she played a little bit of a different style and I can remember days of shooting on her warming her up and then shooting "live," and she would totally shut me down.
 
You had a couple of close wins versus Ithaca and Fredonia before going on a pretty good roll to improve to 11-1. Then #10 Tufts came to Cortland for a top-10 showdown. You jumped out to an 8-2 lead before the Jumbos cut it to 10-7 late in the second half, but a quick three-goal flurry put the game away that ended at 14-8. Did the way you closed that game reinforce the thoughts of a national title?
 
Orr: Every win did, but, of course, when you are battling a top-10 you get to gauge where you stand and assess areas of the game that might still need attention. This group was very focused on the ultimate goal, and that was playing for a national championship.
 
Gentile: We knew this was going to be a huge game for us. The coach of Tufts (Courtney Farrell, now Courtney Shute) was an ex-assistant of ours who also was the older sister of one of our seniors (Marilyn Farrell). I remember Tufts being a great team, which was just another stepping stone to winning our national title.
 
Hayes-Hurley: That Tufts game was definitely tough. (Pun intended.) I remember we played a bit lazy that day and realized we had to bring our best every day.
 
Monaghan: The way we were able to take control and finish the game with a lead gave us the confidence and reinforcement that we really had a shot at the national title. Being able to finish the game strong is probably the most important part of the game.
 
Kelly, after the Tufts win, it was smooth sailing to close out the regular season and the SUNYAC Tournament, winning by an average of 10.2 goals. Thoughts on how you were playing?
 
Orr: Smooth. Practices went by so quick. We were very efficient at what we were doing each and every day. The team was firing on all cylinders.
 
NCAAs start with a 21-4 rout of Castleton, followed by an easy 21-2 win versus Augustana. You were winning comfortably, but would you have preferred tighter competition heading into the next round?
 
Orr: Personally, yes. Sometimes a game like that can almost give you a false sense of security. And while it was nice being able to rest some of our girls at times (although not soon enough with Ashley), a game that is more challenging physically also will help prepare you for the mental challenge.
 
Monaghan: Although I would have preferred tighter competition to keep us on our toes, I believe these games against Castleton and Augustana gave us the confidence and energy that we needed to carry into the regional and the Final Four.
 
Gentile: I would have preferred a tighter competition. We always played our best game when we played higher competition. We were obviously so pumped up and grateful to be where we were at the time, but if we had a tighter competition in the first couple games of NCAAs it might have given us more fire going into the Catholic game.
 
Hayes-Hurley: Honestly, those first-round games are kind of nice being able to easily get past those teams. Not to disrespect those other teams, but they are sort of a mental break.
 
Those wins set up a regional final versus #10 Catholic, a team you had beaten 19-12 on the road earlier in the season. But you had to play against Catholic without Ashley who injured an ankle versus Augustana. The team jumped out to what seemed a comfortable 9-2 lead at the half, but the Cardinals closed the gap in the second half, eventually pulling to within 13-12 with 54 seconds remaining. You had no timeouts remaining. What were the thoughts at that time?
 
Orr: We started off really strong. Beshlian made some great saves off free positions and our fast breaks were textbook. However, as they started making their comeback, I could tell we were getting gassed. They turned up the pressure on defense and started pressuring us out farther. We kept the mentality to play to win instead of play to not lose. The girls dug in and Emma demanded that game winning draw!
 
Hayes-Hurley: That Catholic game was memorable for sure. We got caught sleeping in that game, and they came after us. That was a lesson learned game. Got us back on our toes.
 
Gentile: This game was obviously very difficult for me. I could only cheer on my team and watch from the sidelines. I remember jumping up and down on one ankle the whole game and getting yelled at to sit down by the trainers multiple times. There was no doubt in my mind that we were going to win that game. We could trust everyone on that team that year to get done what we needed to get done.
 
Emma did secure what may have been the most important draw control of the season. Take us through that draw win and the final minute and the feeling of holding on for the victory and the trip to a fifth-straight Final Four.
 
Orr: Relief! Emma won the draw, we possessed the ball for the majority, but turned it over with roughly 10 seconds remaining. Catholic transitioned the ball beautifully, and I'd be lying if I wasn't slightly nervous this game could end up going into OT. The adrenaline kicked in for those girls at the end and we were able to successfully keep them away from a final scoring opportunity.
 
Monaghan: When Emma secured that draw control, I knew from that moment that we won the game. I had all the confidence in the world that it was impossible for anyone on Catholic to get the ball back from Emma!
 
In 2015, the Div. III women's lacrosse Final Four moved away from a campus site and to PPL Park outside of Philadelphia. Bigger city. Bigger venue. A new feeling from the past for the players who had been there before. Can you describe the difference of this Final Four and the atmosphere as compared to other venues?
 
Orr: It was really a unique experience being able to not only play at a "professional " venue, but also to have Div. I playing their semifinal and championship games at the same location. 
 
Gentile: It was the biggest stadium I had ever seen. The nerves and anxiousness we felt were truly like nothing else before. It was an amazing experience stepping onto that field for the first time.
 
Hayes-Hurley: That Final Four spot in Philadelphia was awesome. Big open space. Lots of seats. Playing on grass was a little concerning because we pretty much always played on turf and grass can get rough on some fields.
 
Monaghan: From the field, the stands and the locker room, preparing for and playing the Final Four at PPL Park was truly unbelievable. The championship atmosphere was more prevalent there than it had been at any of the previous sites. I still remember getting chills walking into that stadium for the first time. 
 
In the semifinals against sixth-ranked Middlebury, the team fell behind 3-0, prompting a timeout. Kelly, what was your message to the team? And for the players, what were your thoughts on getting behind so early in another semifinal game?
 
Orr: Do not panic. I feel like that was the message through the entire game. We knew they were good. We knew they would score goals. Our goal was not to panic and stick to the game plan. We would make in-game adjustments as needed.
 
Hayes-Hurley: When we got behind in that Middlebury game, we huddled up quick on the field and I just told everyone not to worry. Just regroup and restart. Taking responsibility for the fact that I wasn't winning any draw controls either.  Being behind early on in a game was nothing we hadn't overcome before.
 
Gentile: We knew at that point we were still okay. We needed that timeout in order to regroup. We came back onto that field with a new game mindset and couldn't let the thought of being down affect us and it didn't.
 
Monaghan: Although we fell behind early, we knew we had plenty of time left to come back. We needed to take a deep breath, secure the draw controls and take care of our possessions.
 
The Panthers then made it a 4-0 score. Middlebury was dominating the game. Nicole Bello won the ensuing draw and you started to turn the game around, eventually tying the score at 5-5 to force a Middlebury timeout. What was the atmosphere like in your huddle?
 
Orr: An excited but calm energy. I reminded them they've been here before and that we needed to stay focused to be successful.
 
Gentile: I remember after having back-to-back goals we were so pumped up. As soon the buzzer went off for a timeout, we were excited, but the atmosphere still had to be calm.
 
Monaghan: After coming off of a goal run, and coming back from a 4-0 score, we were confident, excited and ready to keep our roll going. The huddle was filled with encouragement and confidence and we were ready to get back onto the field and finish the game.
 
You closed the half on a 3-1 run to take an 8-6 lead at intermission. What was the locker room like at the half?
 
Orr: There was a sense of "yes we can," so it was about reassuring them of their skills, reminding them to play level headed and capitalize on Middlebury's mistakes.
 
Monaghan: The energy in the locker room was electric. We were excited, confident and knew we had what it took to win the game. We were focused yet having fun pumping each other up to finish off the game strong.
 
Gentile: We were anxious to get back out there.
 
You were never really threatened again in that game, although the Panthers did pull to within 15-11 with 6:37 remaining with a four-goal run, but the final ended as a convincing 19-12 Red Dragon victory. When were you absolutely confident you had the game won?
 
Orr: Absolute confidence didn't come until the final three minutes or so. Certainly confident we were capable of winning the game, but Middlebury played smart and aggressive throughout the entire game.
 
Hayes-Hurley: Once we got ahead again, we were pretty much unstoppable.
 
The team's old playoff nemesis, top-ranked Trinity, won the other semifinal, which I am sure did not disappoint any of you, correct?
 
Orr: Not at all, excited to have the opportunity to play them and get redemption.
 
Gentile: Correct, we wanted to play Trinity that year. We were ready for them.
 
Monaghan: Finding out that Trinity had also won its semifinal game and that we would be playing them in the national championship fueled our fire.
 
Game day. How were all of you feeling?
 
Orr: I couldn't have been any more excited or happy for the girls. They finally did it, and were playing in the national championship game — no one was stopping them.
 
Monaghan: Ready, excited, nervous, confident.
 
Gentile: I was ready mentally. Physically, my ankle could have been better. We were just so excited to be there. We knew we had 60 more minutes to finish our season.
 
Unlike the Middlebury game, you came out and took control of the title game, forcing a Trinity timeout with 12:58 left in the opening half after Tara scored to make it a 3-1 game. After that timeout, you pushed the lead to 6-1, prompting a second timeout. How confident was the coaching staff and the team feeling at that point?
 
Orr: I know we were feeling good, but it was still early in the game and swings of momentum can happen at any time. We wanted to be sure we stuck to what was working and not let up.
 
Gentile: I remember everyone just coming to the huddle yelling but we knew we had so much work to still do.
 
Monaghan: We were truly playing our best. We were executing plays, securing possessions, playing solid defense, all while having fun. We were feeling confident and optimistic about securing the title.
 
Hayes-Hurley: The Trinity game had an even better feel to it. We were all there ready to go. A lot of us had waited years for that moment.
 
Trinity made it a 6-2 game, but you really brought all of the momentum into the locker room at the half when your leader in assists on the season, Marilyn Farrell, connected for back-to-back goals at the 16 and four second marks, respectively. Your thoughts on those two huge goals?
 
Orr: Those types of bursts can happen either way. Marilyn had a fantastic game, and I feel like she contributed so much more than just points that weekend. She was a great leader and she brought the teams energy up even higher, especially on the goal with four seconds in the half.
 
Hayes-Hurley: Everyone stepped up that day. Marilyn definitely being one of them with those goals.
 
Gentile: It is always the best feeling when you are the most pumped going into the locker room at half. Those goals really helped our momentum going into the second half.
 
Kelly, the second half was more of the same, although the Bantams did get the score to 9-4 just 10 minutes into the second half, and you called a timeout. Do you remember your message to the team at that point?
 
Orr: I just wanted them to do some deep breathing and look around. They did it. They were playing for the title. It was a surreal experience.
 
Once the teams returned to the field, it was basically all Cortland as you continued to extend the lead and control the game. When did the thoughts of being the national champs really start to take hold?
 
Orr: The team's energy was contagious and unlike anything I've ever been a part of, honestly after winning the semifinal I said no one was going to stop them, so I really believed it then. Beshlian had her BEST warm up of the year that day, too. I guess it was an all-day feeling.
 
Hayes-Hurley: When coach called a timeout when it was 9-4, the message was pretty much to just keep going. She really just let us play our game that weekend. There wasn't any detailed plan for plays and everything, just play lacrosse. And that's really when our team was able to thrive.
 
Gentile: We knew we were winning most of the second half. Everyone just seemed like they were having fun at that point. We were always calm, but I don't think we really ever stopped going to the goal. About 20 minutes in, we brought our game outside the eight-meter to try to get Trinity tired.
 
Monaghan: I remember looking at the scoreboard with five minutes to go, knowing we were winning a national championship. I knew that there was no way Trinity could possibly come back, and all we had to do was play smart and relaxed and the championship was ours.
 
The final horn sounds. Score – Cortland 17, Trinity 6. Your memories of that moment?
 
Orr: Unbelievably thankful. I was so thankful to be a part of this championship team, for Cortland taking a chance on me to lead the program and to have my husband and best friends in the stands. I was and still am so proud of each member of the team.
 
Monaghan: There aren't enough words in the English dictionary to explain the feeling after the final buzzer. It was the most ecstatic feeling. We all threw our sticks and sprinted to each other, celebrating the epic victory together. No better feeling!
 
Hayes-Hurley: Once that buzzer went off and we won, it was the greatest feeling ever. We finally did it. And being a senior at the time, it just felt like I could walk away proud with no regrets. The goal was achieved, and we all did it together.
 
Gentile: Honestly, I can cry thinking about it. It was the most amazing experience. Fireworks, cheering, tears, hugs. We wouldn't stop hugging and tackling each other. I think we got a warning for cheering too much, but we really could not help it. All of it was just amazing. We were so excited to finally have one of those national championship tee shirts and a ring.
 
Is there anything else you would like to add about the 2015 season and this Title Recall?
 
Gentile: The team atmosphere is what made us who we were that year. There was so much trust between everyone. We were all with each other all times on and off the field. We loved each other (still do) so much and we were all on the same page on what we had to get done that year. We literally hugged each other after every goal no matter the score. We were just always happy, which made out atmosphere amazing. There was never an "if we win," but only a "when we win" type of atmosphere when it came to winning the national championship.
 
Monaghan: The 2015 season was special. From the parents and strong family support, to playing as a team and having each other's backs both on and off the field, I knew we were destined for greatness.
 
Hayes-Hurley: 2015 champs forever, baby!

Full replay of game (NCAA.com)

Game highlights

Box score

2015 story recapping the title