Stevenson 8, Lebanon Valley 6

LVC Starters: Kelley, Moatz, Mellendick, Caka, Maleski, Brewer, Jones, O'Neill, Morris (GK), Stoltzfus, Bingham, Boyce

Stevenson Starters: Bafford, McLaughlin, Larrimore, Walter, Heher, Tankersley, Akshar, McDevvitt, Monteiro, Bruno Lawder (GK), Bittner

How It Happened
OWINGS MILLS, Md. – Stevenson scored with 29 seconds remaining to break a 6-6 tie and eventually held on to edge Lebanon Valley by an 8-6 margin on Wednesday afternoon in the MAC Commonwealth Semifinal game. Stevenson will meet No. 17 Messiah in the MAC Commonwealth Final on Saturday.

After the Mustangs (10-8) called a timeout with 1:12 remaining, Stevenson ran some clock and set its offense up to try to hold for the final play of the game. Perhaps a little earlier than anticipated, the Mustangs' Carli Bafford found the back of the net off an assist from behind the net from Hollie Larrimore to give Stevenson the 7-6 advantage with 29 seconds remaining.

The Dutchmen (10-7) called a timeout after the goal was scored to set up their offense for the final 29 ticks of the clock. However, the Mustangs' Tori Bruno won the draw control and dished it off to Brady Heher, who scored with nine seconds left to put Stevenson ahead 8-6 and put the game out of reach for LVC.

It was a very tight game throughout, as the biggest lead was Stevenson's 8-6 lead at the end of the game. The Mustangs scored first, however Sam Boyce evened things up at 1-1 with 26:17 left in the first. After Stevenson scored two straight, the Dutchmen answered with two of their own from Emma Jones and Boyce to tie things up at 3-3 with 12:17 to go in the opening half. In the final 10 minutes of the first, the Mustangs found the back of the net twice, but Makenzie Kelley kept it a one-goal game, as Stevenson went into halftime with just a 5-4 advantage.

After halftime, most of the second half was much like the first, a back-and-forth affair. Jones tied the game at 5-5 with 24:09 to go, but Shelby Walter made it 6-5 Mustangs at 11:55. The reigning MAC Commonwealth Defensive Player of the Year, Emily Moatz, showed off her offensive skills by tying the game for the fifth time with 9:58 to go, but Bafford's late goal gave Stevenson the narrow victory.

Inside the Numbers
 - Jones and Boyce each had two goals, while Jones added a pair of ground balls, two caused turnovers, and four draw controls.
 - Stevenson had seven different goal scorers and Jillian Henry notched two goals. Bafford and Rachael Akshar corralled three ground balls apiece, while Jamie Bittner controlled three draws.
 - The Mustangs outshot LVC 22-21 and Stevenson edged the Dutchmen 15-14 in shots on goal.
 - LVC went 17-for-19 on clears, while the Mustangs were 16-for-19.
 - As a team, Stevenson picked up 11 ground balls compared to the Dutchmen's eight.
Between the pipes, Shelby Morris was stellar, making seven saves for LVC and holding a potent offense to just eight goals.

Who's Next?
LVC has put a bid in for next week's ECAC Championship Tournament. The field will be announced early next week, so stay tuned to GoDutchmen.com for updates.