ASHLEY CROOK

BOSTON  -- Sarah Von Bargen (East Setauket, N.Y.) recorded three points for the 13th-ranked University of New Hampshire women’s lacrosse team, but seventh-ranked Boston University utilized a three-goal spurt to break an 8-8 tie en route to Sunday afternoon’s 16-8 victory in an NCAA first-round game at Nickerson Field.

UNH, which received an at-large bid to make its seventh NCAA tournament appearance, ends the season at 13-6. The Terriers, who earned an automatic berth by winning last weekend’s play-in game against Sacred Heart University, extended their winning streak to 15 games to improve to 18-2.

The Wildcats were led offensively by Von Bargen (two goals, assist), Ashley Crook (South Burlington, Vt.; two goals) and Maureen Wark (Yarmouth, Maine; two goals). Deb Dale (East Northport, N.Y.) tallied a goal and an assist and Michaela Hardy (Reading, Mass.) potted one goal. UNH goalie Ashley Milley (Sudbury, Mass.) was credited with four saves. Crook was also credited with one ground ball, two draw controls and one caused turnover. Allie Duclos (South Windsor, Conn.) finished with three ground balls, two draw controls and one caused turnover.

BU’s Sarah Dalton scored six goals and Xan Weitzel finished with four points (2g, 2a). Rachel Klein stopped seven shots.

With the game tied 5-5 at halftime, UNH took a 6-5 lead 21 seconds into the second half on Crook’s transition goal. Off the opening draw, Crook gained possession on the top-right side of the offensive zone, cut into the fan and executed a spin move to the center before firing a shot into the net.

The Terriers pulled even, 6-6, at 26:18 when Traci Landi (2g, 1a) netted a free-position goal from the right wing. After both goalies recorded a save, Hardy drew a charge on UNH’s defensive end, and Von Bargen scored her second of the game at 22:35 on a quick transition attack. Hardy quickly moved the ball into the midfield with a pass to Shaunna Kaplan (Framingham, Mass.). Kaplan carried the ball through the right side of the fan and fired a pass across to Von Bargen, who shot low inside the left post.

BU forged the fifth tie of the game, 7-7, when Weitzel’s pass from behind the net was one-timed for a goal by Dalton at the right post at 22:04. The home team took an 8-7 lead at 21:44 on a transition goal in which McKinley Curro found Weitzel cutting alone through the middle of the fan.

Crook won the ensuing draw control for UNH and, after a ‘Cat turnover, she got the ball back for the Wildcats when she caused a turnover by drawing a charge at 20:40. That led to a free-position shot for Wark, and she charged from the left wing to fire a shot into the upper-right corner to tie the score, 8-8, at 20:01.

New Hampshire was outshot 14-0 the rest of the way, however -- the shots were even at 17 in the opening 40 minutes of the game.

BU gained possession on the next draw control and the combination of Weitzel and Dalton produced a carbon copy goal of the team’s seventh goal to put the Terriers back in front, 9-8, at 19:14. Dalton struck again at the right post, this time off a feed from Landy, at 17:38 and, after a save by Milley, Steph Walker (2g, 2a) let loose a shot from the top of the fan that found the lower-right corner to give BU an 11-8 advantage at 15:46.

That flurry of three goals in 3:28 prompted UNH to call time out. The Terriers won the ensuing drawn and Landy earned a free position, but Milley made a save to keep the differential at three goals.

Following a plethora of turnovers by both teams, Walker netted a free-position goal at 6:41 to extend the lead to 12-8. With UNH’s defense forced to pressure the rest of the way, the Terriers netted four more goals to pull away.

In the first half, Milley made two saves in the opening seven minutes as the game was scoreless for 10 minutes.

Crook gave the ‘Cats a 1-0 lead at 19:51 when she collected a pass low on the right side, pivoted to the outside and scored. Von Bargen, with a pass from the top right side of the fan, set up the tally.

Boston University turned a free position into a goal at 14:32 when Alyssa Kovach passed to Weitzel low on the left side. Dalton scored 33 seconds later to give BU a 2-1 lead.

Milley made a stop against Lauren Morton and Crook picked up the ground ball to give possession to New Hampshire. At the other end of the field, Wark corralled a pass on the left wing, drove through the middle and across to the far post before firing a shot into the net at 10:45 to tie the score, 2-2.

Following a re-start behind the net, Dale found Hardy on the right side and her quick release put the ‘Cats back in front, 3-2, at 8:41. Von Bargen then recorded one of her six draw controls on the ensuing draw and Dale, on a drive from the top of the fan, scored at 7:50 to give UNH a 4-2 advantage.

Kaplan won the following draw, but Klein turned aside Hardy to keep the differential at two goals. The Terriers utilized a transition attack in which a pass from the right side of the fan found Curro cutting through the left side and she deposited a shot into the net at 6:38.

Von Bargen reestablished a two-goal lead, 5-3, for UNH at 3:30 when her side-arm release from the top of the fan ricocheted off the left post and right post before crossing the goal line.

Morton trimmed the deficit to 5-4 at 2:44, then a Wildcats’ turnover in the closing minute led to Walker’s tally with 36 seconds on the clock. UNH’s Von Bargen once again won the draw, but the ‘Cats lost possession in the waning seconds to send the teams into halftime tied at 5.

UNH entered the NCAA tourney ranked No. 5 nationally in defense at 7.45 goals allowed per game and surrendered double digits in goals for just the fourth time this season.

UNH, which won the NCAA title in 1985, has a 4-6 lifetime record in the NCAA tournament.

The end of the 2008 season marks the end of UNH Wildcat careers for five seniors: Crook, Milley, Wark, Bailley Mazur (Longmeadow, Mass.) and Moira Talbot (Marblehead, Mass.), who was injured during pre-game warmup and did not play.