Photo by John McCreary
Wagner at Princeton l Friday, May 10 l 7:00 PM I Sherrerd Field
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Princeton, NJ - The 2019 Northeast Conference (NEC) champion Wagner women's lacrosse team, by virtue of its
15-13 come-from-behind victory at Fairfield on Tuesday in the NCAA Championship Opening Round, will now travel to
Ivy League champion Princeton on Friday in a 7:00 p.m. First-Round matchup at Sherrerd Field.
First-Year Wagner Head Coach Michelle Tumolo
An All-American player at Syracuse, member of the 2017 gold medal-winning U.S. National Team and, most recently, the top assistant at the University of Oregon, Tumolo guided Wagner to program-record 16 head wins, an NEC championship, followed an NCAA Open-Round win at Fairfield. Known for her dynamic attacking ability as a player, Tumolo coordinated an Oregon offense that set a host of school record and a helped the Ducks to pair of nine-win seasons. In 2018, the Oregon tallied 336 points, second-most in the program's single-season history, on 228 goals 108 assists. Tumolo came to Oregon after three previous seasons as an assistant coach, spending 2016 with Syracuse, her alma mater. Under head coach and Hall of Fame player, Gary Gait, she coordinated an offense that tallied 314 goals, second-most in the nation. Prior to her one season as an assistant at Syracuse, Tumolo enjoyed a successful two-year stint at Florida where, in 2015, she helped the Gators lead the NCAA in scoring with a 15.52 goals per game average. From 2010-13, the Mullica Hill, NJ native, whose younger sister Kimmy was a top midfielder at Wagner (2013-16, enjoyed an outstanding playing career at Syracuse where she was a finalist for the Tewaaraton Award as college player of the year in 2012. Despite having her senior season cut short due to injury in 2013, Tumolo finished her collegiate career with 141 goals and 137 assists, ranking in Syracuse's career top 10 for goals, assists and points. Her assist total ranked ninth in NCAA history at the conclusion of her career. In 2016, Tumolo was selected by the Philly Force as the franchise's first-ever draft pick in the inaugural United Women's Lacrosse League Draft.
Seahawks Led by Six All-NEC Selections, Highlighted By Midfielder Of The Year Erin Kerstetter
Click HERE for updated Seahawk Statistics
NEC Midfielder of the Year
So.
Erin Kerstetter
First-Team All-NEC
So.
Erin Kerstetter, MF
Sr.
Maddie Courtney, D
Sr.
Maggie Jent, D
So.
Madeline Seims, A/M
Second-Team All-NEC
So.
Stephanie Falcone, A
R-Sr.
Kelsey Fee, G
First-Ever Meeting Between Wagner and Princeton
*This will mark the first time that the Seahawks and the Tigers will meet in women's lacrosse.
*The only other Ivy League foes that Wagner has ever faced are Columbia (1-14), and Yale (0-1), with the
victory over the Lions coming on March 28, 2018, a 14-10 win on Staten Island. In 2019, Wagner and Princeton did not face any common opponents.
About the Princeton Tigers
*Princeton is making its 27th NCAA tournament appearance, of which 26 have come with
Chris Sailer as the team's head coach. Princeton is 36-23 all-time in NCAA tournament games, and Sailer is 35-22, after Betty Logan went 1-1 in 1983.
*Princeton has reached the NCAA tournament seven straight years. The Tigers have won three NCAA championships (1994, 2002, 2003) and reached 11 Final Fours, including seven championship games.
*A year ago Princeton reached the quarterfinals after getting a first-round bye and then defeating Syracuse 12-11 in overtime before falling in the quarterfinals to Boston College 16-10.
Wagner-Princeton By the Stats
*Princeton averages 14.24 goals per game, second in the Ivy League and 20th in Division I. Wagner allows 8.11 goals per game, which is seventh in Division I.
*Wagner also averages 13.72 goals per game, which is 32nd in the country. The Seahawks' 5.61 scoring margin is 13th in Division I.
*Wagner also ranks in the top 10 in Division I in ground balls per game (third), caused turnovers per game (ninth), winning percentage (eighth) and shots per game (fifth).
*Wagner enters the Princeton game with a seven-game winning streak.
Closer Look at Wagner's 15-13 NCAA Opening Round Win at Fairfield
*With her Seahawks trailing Fairfield 10-7 in the second half of their NCAA Opening-Round game at Fairfield on Tuesday, first-year head coach
Michelle Tumolo changed goalies, bringing in freshman
Lauren DiStefano to give redshirt senior and second-team All-NEC performer
Kelsey Fee a breather.
*The 16-3 Seahawks scored the next four goals and then, with Fee back in goal, prevailed over the next 20 tension-filled minutes, eventually earning the 15-13 win.
*This marks Wagner's third trip to the NCAA Tournament in the last four seasons, and the second straight season the Seahawks won an opening-round game.
*Goals by second-team junior All-NEC attacker
Stephanie Falcone, sophomore NEC Midfielder of the Year
Erin Kerstetter and leading goal-scorer, sophomore attack/midfielder
Madeline Seims, another first-team All-NEC selection, made it a 10-10 game.
*For Seims, the game-tying tally, which came on a free position shot, added to her single-season program record that now stands at 62 goals.
*Capping the 4-0 run was a goal by senior attacker
Megan Drum, one of four five tallies on the day for the South Jersey native.
NEC Tournament Recap
*After finishing second in the NEC with a 6-1 record, the lone blemish an 11-9 loss at Mount St. Mary's (4/13), Wagner entered the four-team 2019 NEC Tournament as the No. 2 seed, behind top-seeded Mount (7-0 NEC). The Seahawks then eked out a pair of heart-stopping one-goal wins in laying claim to the title.
*In a 14-13 win over Robert Morris in the NEC semifinals (5/2), the Seahawks trailed 8-7 at the midway point, but used a strong second half to advance to its sixth consecutive NEC championship game.
*In the lowest scoring NEC Title game in NEC women's lacrosse history, Wagner combined stingy defense with balanced scoring to claim the program's second straight title, as the Seahawks defeated top-seeded Mount St. Mary's 7-6, avenging their regular season loss to the Mountaineers.
*Redshirt senior goalie
Kelsey Fee, who was named Tournament MVP, recorded 11 saves, with the final one coming on a free position shot with less than one second to play, which set off a raucous Seahawk celebration.
2019 NEC All-Tournament Team
Kelsey Fee, WC (Tournament MVP)
Maddie Courtney, WC
Erin Kerstetter, WC
Madeline Seims, WC
About the Wagner Women's Lacrosse Program
Wagner fielded its first women's lax team in 1997, posting its initial winning season in 2000 (9-6), which was the first of three straight winning campaigns as the Seahawks went 9-7 in 2001 and 11-6 in 2002. After going .500 (9-9) in 2005, the Green & White did not experience another winning season until the recent resurgence, which began in 2014. That season, the Seahawks earned an 11-7 mark and went on to their first of six straight NEC championship game appearances, including NEC title and ensuing opening-round NCAA wins in each of the last two seasons.
Six Straight NCAA Championship Game Appearances
2014: 11-7, 6-1 NEC; Lost to Bryant in NEC Title Game
2015: 9-10, 5-2 NEC; Lost to Bryant in NEC Title Game
2016: 10-9, 6-1 NEC; Defeated Bryant in NEC Title Game; L, Penn 17-7 in NCAA First Round
2017: 7-12, 4-3 NEC; Lost to Bryant in NEC Title Game
2018: 14-6, 6-1 NEC; Defeated Bryant in NEC Title Game; Defeated Mercer 13-9 in NCAA Opening Round/Lost at Towson 16-6 in NCAA First Round
2019: 16-3, 6-1 NEC; Defeated Mount St. Mary's in NEC Title Game; Defeated Fairfield 15-13 in NCAA Opening Round
The year Wagner really turned the corner was 2016 when former Syracuse All-American, gold-medal U.S. National Team champion, and professional player, Katie Rowan, took over as head coach. After leading the Seahawks to three straight NEC championship game appearances, including the first two conference title, in 2016 and 2018, Rowan moved on to become the head coach at UAlbany where she led the Great Danes to the 2019 America East Championship game in her first season.
In 2019, Rowan was by replaced by Tumolo, another former Syracuse All-American, Gold-Medal U.S. National Team champion, and professional player, who is in the midst of authoring a record-breaking season in her first year as a head coach.
