CORTLAND, N.Y. - The nationally second-ranked Cortland women's lacrosse team built a 14-3 lead at the half in earning a 21-4 victory versus Castleton St. in the second round of the NCAA Div. III playoffs Sunday at the Stadium Complex. The Red Dragons improved to 18-1 on the season and are slated to host a four-team regional next Satuday and Sunday. The Spartans had a 16-game winning streak snapped and finished the year at 17-3.

Junior Tara Mongahan (Stony Point/North Rockland) led nine Cortland goal scorers with six. She also added one assist and four draw controls. Sophomore Kristen Ohberg (Brewster) matched Monaghan's seven points with three goals and four assists. Junior Nicole Bello (Camillus/West Genesee) netted four goals, and senior Emma Hayes-Hurley (Huntington) recorded three goals and five draws.

Senior Marilyn Farrell (Fayetteville/Fayetteville-Manlius) contributed one goal and one assist, four ground balls and caused three turnovers for Cortland. Freshman Katie Wolfe (East Amhert/Williamsville North) also tallied one goal and one assist, and juniors Ashley Gentile (Baldwinsville/C.W. Baker) and Elizabeth LaComb (Syracuse/West Genesee) and sophomore Nicolette Tortorici (Deer Park) notched one goal each. Sophomore goalie Jaclyn Beshlian (Wantagh) made four saves in 45:15 before giving way to junior Liz Ingalls (Centerport/St. Anthony's), who did not face a shot on goal over the final 14:45.

Sophomore Grace Johnson (South Burlington, VT) paced the Spartans' offense with three goals, all in the first half. Senior Kate Auer (South Glens Falls) added one goal and one assist and senior Maddy DaCosta (New Bedford, MA/Bishop Stang) contributed one assist.

Junior goalie Rachel Bombardier (Pittsford, VT/St. Paul's School) made five saves in the opening half, while junior goalie Meghan Els (Commack) did not register a save over the final 30 minutes. Auer won a game-high eight draws for Castleton.

Cortland jumped out a 3-0 lead 3:49 into the game as three different players found the back of the net. Johnson's first goal of the game put the Spartans on the scoreboard at 24:58, but four more Red Dragon goals in less than a five-minute span made it a 7-1 game at the 17:48 mark. Johnson scored off the free position at 17:04, and Bello and Monaghan each scored before Johnson's third score of the half cut Cortland's lead to 9-3. Monaghan and Hayes-Hurley each netted two goals and LaComb scored from the free position as the Red Dragons closed the half on a 5-0 run to take a 14-3 lead into intermission.

Cortland quickly pushed its lead to 19-3 with five goals in just under seven minutes to open the second half. Auer's goal stopped the Red Dragon 10-goal run, and Tortorici and Wolfe completed the scoring with goals at 15:07 and 12:52, respectively. All 28 of Cortland's eligible players saw action in the second half as the Red Dragons won their 15th consecutive game.

Cortland 21, Castleton 4

GAME SUMMARY:

Team                  1-2 Final
Castleton            3-1     4
Cortland             14-7   21

Scoring (Goals-Assists):
Castleton: Grace Johnson 3-0, Kate Auer 1-1, Maddy DaCosta 0-1
Cortland: Tara Monaghan 6-1, Nicole Bello 4-0, Kristen Ohberg 3-4, Emma Hayes-Hurley 3-0, Marilyn Farrell 1-1, Katie Wolfe 1-1, Ashley Gentile 1-0, Nicolette Tortorici 1-0, Elizabeth LaComb 1-0

Goalkeepers:
Castleton: Rachel Bombardier, 5 saves (14 GA in 30:00), Meghan Els, 0 saves (7 GA in 30:00)
Cortland: Jaclyn Beshlian, 4 saves (4 GA in 45:15), Liz Ingalls, 0 saves (0 GA in 14:45)

Shots: Cortland 33, Castleton 12
Ground Balls: Cortland 15, Castleton 9
Clears: Cortland 15-for-15, Castleton 5-for-15
Draw Controls: Cortland 15, Castleton 12
Caused Turnovers: Cortland 8, Castleton 2
Turnovers: Castleton 19, Cortland 9

Records after game: Cortland (Red Dragons) 18-1 (ranked 2nd nationally in Div. III); Castleton St. (Spartans) 17-3