PHILADLEPHIA, Pa. (May 2, 2024) - Georgian Court Women's Lacrosse is back in the CACC Championship game. They avenged a regular season loss to Jefferson, beating them when it counted most in the CACC Tournament. Georgian Court overcame a three-goal deficit in the third, scoring eight of the final 10 goals for a 15-12 win over the Rams. The win puts the Lions into the CACC Tournament finals this Sunday afternoon.

How it Happened
• Although Jefferson rattled off nine more shots, shot on goal numbers were even at 25.
• Georgian Court had the advantage on the draw, 17-14.
• The Lions though hurt themselves turning the ball over 20 times. The Rams coughed it up just 10.
• Each team had nine free-position opportunities. The Rams were 5-9 and GCU 4-9. 
• Jefferson was called for six cards and the Lions were carded just twice. The Lions connected on three power play goals and the Rams once. 
First Quarter
• Both goaltenders made some early saves, but Georgian Court got on the board first with a goal from Riley O'Connor at the 11:26 mark.
• Remi Reinhardt made it 2-0 with a free position goal midway through the frame on the power play.
• Caitlin Petrellese kept the line moving with her own free-position goal at the 3:41 mark for a 3-0 Lion lead. 
• Jefferson added a goal in the final 90 seconds to keep from getting shutout in the frame. Cadence Gentile made a save with 10 seconds left and it was a 3-1 Lion lead after 15 minutes. 
Second Quarter
• Riley O'Connor started the second with a goal in the first minute.
• Jefferson then scored four straight goals turning a 4-1 Lion lead into a 5-4 Ram lead at the 8:57 mark. 
• The Lions called a timeout and put Natalie Moradian in net. She made three saves the rest of the half.
• Riley O'Connor evened up the game at the 7:09 mark and the scored stayed that way for much of the rest of the half.
• Isabel Raimondi took the lead back with a free-position goal with 1:28 to play before the half, but Jefferson evened it up scoring on the free position with 32 seconds and the game was tied at six after the first half.
Third Quarter
• Jefferson reclaimed a one-goal lead scoring a little more than three minutes into the second half. They tacked on another 50 seconds later on the free-position with the extra-attacker for an 8-6 Ram lead.
• Georgian Court had their own woman-up opportunity and Kasha Elzinga cashed in on the power play to cut the lead down to one, 8-7.
• The goals were coming in bunches and Jefferson responded with a wrap-around goal getting back in front 9-7 with just under 10 minutes left in the third. 
• A bad turnover in the defensive zone gave Jefferson a breakaway attempt, one-on-one with Cadence Gentile who reentered the game in net. Lynn Hardy didn't miss and gave Jefferson their largest lead, 10-7, still with 8:35 remaining.
• The Lions got one back with another power play goal. Elzinga found Petrellese for her second of the game.
• The scoring finally slowed towards the end of the period, but the Lions finished with a flurry. Gabrielle Battle picked up two assists, one to Michaela Scirotto and another to O'Connor who tied the game with 35 seconds left and sent the game to the fourth knotted up at 10.
Fourth Quarter
• O'Connor made it four straight goals for the Lions scoring a woman-up goal at the 13:18 mark. She caused a turnover and took it to the net where she finished to get the lead back to GCU.
• A little over a minute later, Jefferson answered, scoring to tie the game with 12:10 to play.
• After GCU failed to score on their next possession, the Rams came down the field and took the lead back, 12-11, with a little over 10 minutes left to play in regulation.
• The teams continued trading goals and Reinhardt got the next, picking up a ground ball and attacking the net to tie the game with 9:00 left.
• GCU had a strong defensive possession, stopping a free-position shot and reclaimed the lead on the other end with Reinhardt scoring for a 13-12 lead.
• O'Connor tacked on another 80 seconds later putting GCU up two, 14-12.
• With 2:52 left to play, Georgian Court gave Jefferson some life taking a yellow card, but Gentile bailed them out making a big save to keep it a two-goal lead.
• Reinhardt put the finishing touches on the game, scoring her fourth of the game and 100th of her career with 1:29 left. 

Lion Stat Leaders
• Riley O'Connor scored a game-high six goals while causing a turnover and winning three draws. 
• Remi Reinhardt scored four times, three in the third quarter. She also won 11 draw controls. 
• Caitlin Petrellese added two goals.
• Kasha Elzinga scored a goal and caused two turnovers. 
• Cadence Gentile got the win in goal making nine save. 
• Natalie Moradian played a little more in net as well stopping four Jefferson shots. 

For the Rams
• Erin Avanzato scored four goals with an assist.
• Gabby Modzelewski added three goals.
• Kalyn Ammerlaan made 10 saves. 
• Julia McLaughlin picked up four ground balls and caused three turnovers. 
• Lynn Hardy scored twice and caused three turnovers. 

News and Notes
• Remi Reinhardt scored her 100th career goal.
• Riley O'Connor moved to second all-time at Georgian Court in goals scored.
• Kelsey Naclerio moved to fourth at GCU in caused turnovers and sixth in ground balls.
• GCU overcame a late three-goal deficit, turning the tables on Jefferson who mounted a late comeback against GCU in the regular season.
• Georgian Court is the first No. 3 seed in the CACC Tournament to reach the finals since 2018. The last four (there was no tournament in 2020 due to COVID-19) all saw the No. 1 seed vs. the No. 2 seed. 

Up Next
• The Lions will play for a CACC Championship Sunday, May 5th. They'll be at Dominican taking on the host and No. 1 seed Chargers at 2 p.m.