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Video of Game-Winning Goal

Staten Island, NY – Sophomore attack Olivia Streilein (Mt.Laurel, NJ/Lenape) sank a five-yard blast 23 seconds into the second overtime session to lift the Wagner women's lacrosse team to a thrilling 9-8 come-from-behind victory over Sacred Heart at Hameline Field on Sunday.
 
In overcoming a 6-3 second-half deficit, the Seahawks earned their sixth straight win overall and are now 5-0 in the Northeast Conference (NEC) for the first time in program history. After dropping four consecutive games by one-goal margins earlier this season, the surging Seahawks now have an overall record of 8-7. With the loss, Pioneers fall to 1-4 in conference play and 5-9 overall.
 
In her two seasons at the helm of the Seahawk program, head coach Liz Frisoli has now led the Seahawks to 11 straight NEC wins and a sparkling 11-1 (.917) record in league play - a 6-1 mark last season, followed by this year's 5-0 league start. Wagner's lone conference loss in the last two seasons came in the 2014 NEC opener, a 7-6 double-overtime home defeat to Bryant, which has been followed by 11 consecutive league wins.
 
Today's victory sets up a showdown at Bryant on Friday, April 24. When the Seahawks and Bulldogs square off in this 4:00 p.m. clash, both teams will be sitting atop the NEC standings with identical 5-0 league records, as Bryant defated Saint Francis U 17-10 today to remain unblemished in league play, while improving to 11-3 overall.
 
If Wagner defeats Bryant on Friday, the Seahawks will win the league's regular season title and host the 2015 NEC Championships, with the semifinals on Friday, May 1 and  the championship game set for Sunday, May 3.

A season ago, No. 1-seed Bryant defeated No. 2 Wagner 14-6 on its home turf in the 2014 NEC Championship game, which marked the Seahawks' first-ever appearance in the league title game.

Today's game with Sacred Heart was a dogfight throughout for the Seahawks as the Pioneers did an excellent job of slowing down the tempo and controlling possession. After the teams entered halftime deadlocked in a 3-3 tie, Sacred Heart opened the second half on a 3-0 blitz in going on top by a 6-3 margin. Caitlin Delaney notched the first two second-half goals for the Pioneers before Jessyln Joseph capped the 3-0 run with a goal, off a feed from Erin Coutts, that made 6-3  with 21:23 remaining in regulation.
 
An unassisted goal by senior midfielder Jessica Mills (Vernon, NJ/Vernon Township) at the 15:16 mark of the second half seemed to have an energizing effect on the Seahawks, as Wagner won the next two draw controls, turning each into goals. With 13:22 left, junior attack Taylor Pastore (Baldwinsville, NY/C.W. Baker) was fouled while aggressively running towards the net, resulting in a free-position goal that made it a 6-5 game.
 
Just 53 seconds later, it was Lauren Ednie's (Vernona, NJ/Verona) turn as the feisty freshman midfielder knifed her way in close before burying a goal at the 12:29 mark that tied it a 6-6. That's the way the score remained until Pastore shook loose for her second goal of the game, an unassisted tally with 7:43 left, which put Wagner ahead 7-6, giving the Seahawks their first lead since the score was 2-1 early in the first half.
 
Undaunted, the Pioneers fought back as Joseph deposited a free-position shot with 2:05 to go in regulation, forging the game's fifth tie at 7-7.
 
In Division I women's lacrosse, the first overtime is a six-minute session, broken down into a pair of three-minute segments. Just 36 seconds into the first OT, Averi Farhat scored her third goal of the game, off an assist from Paige DeVine, which put Sacred Heart in front by an 8-7 count.
 
Then, with 1:40 left in the first overtime session, Ednie broke free for her second goal, an unassisted effort of her own, which tied the game at 8-8.
 
When the six-minute overtime ended, the game remained in an 8-8 tie, necessitating a sudden-death overtime session. After Ednie dug out the first draw control of sudden death, the ball was worked around to Streilein behind the net. The 5-4 sophomore then darted around the side of the cage and delivered the game-winner from straight on, five yards out, past Sacred Heart goalie Emily Kick.
 
Streilein's clutch shot, which came just 23 seconds into the second overtime, set off a raucous Seahawk celebration.
 
Streilein's three points (2G, 1A) paced Wagner offensively, while Ednie and Pastore finished with wto goals apiece. Recording single goals for the Seahawks were Mills, along with the junior attack tandem of Stephanie Peterson (Vernon, NJ/Vernon Township) and Kimmy Tumulo (Mullica Hills, NJ/Clearview).
 
While not finding her way into the scoring column, junior midfielder Shea Gegan (Belmar, NJ/Manasquan) made her presence felt. The national leader in both caused turnovers and groundballs per game, managed to fight her way for seven caused turnovers and six groundballs today, despite sitting out the latter part of the first half after receiving a stick to the face. Gegan returned to the lineup in the second half and played a major role in the win.
 
Wagner was already without the services of Gegan's high school teammate, and junior midfield stalwart, Gretchen Fay (Spring Lake Heights, NJ/Manasquan), who sat out the game to rest a leg injury. In goal, junior Katie Ferraro (Owings Mill, MD/McDonogh) recorded 10 saves, seven of which came in the first half, which went a long way towards the Green & White being able to forge the 3-3 tie at the intermission.
 
For Sacred Heart, the Pioneers were led by Farhat's hat trick. Delaney and Joseph wound up with two goals apiece while Jenna Lijeberg added one. Kick was superb in goal, coming up with 12 saves on the afternoon, nine of which came in the second half and man that were on point-blank shot attempts.
 
Statistically, Wagner outshot Sacred Heart 36-24 and led in groundballs by a 23-14 margin. The Pioneers won 12-of-21 draw controls which allowed them to execute their patient, ball-control offensive game plan for much of the game.
 
The Seahawks, who entered the game ranked No. 1 nationally in caused turnovers per game (12.9), came up with 15 CT's today as Sacred Heart committed 18 turnovers, as opposed to just eight charged against Wagner.
 
Following Friday night's encounter at Bryant, the Seahawks will close out the regular season on Sunday, April 26 with a 1:00 p.m. contest at Central Connecticut.

Follow Wagner Athletics on Twitter (@WagnerAthletics) for all the latest news and updates on the athletic department and @WagnerWlax for information specific to the Seahawk women's lacrosse team.