SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – For the first time in program history, Notre Dame College women's lacrosse stands at the top of the mountain. The Falcons defeated Frostburg State University by a score of 14-10 in the Mountain East Conference Championship game, on Friday. Freshman Charlotte Vari was named MVP of the tournament after scoring eight goals over the two games.

"With COVID protocols and injuries and a shortened season, it's a hard-earned championship for sure," head coach Ben Morhac said. "Honestly, I wouldn't have had it any other way. They are a great group of kids, they worked hard and they deserve this."

Notre Dame won the opening draw control, but after turnovers by both teams, Frostburg State took the first shot of the game, which was saved by junior Mackenzie Levine. Levine had four saves in the first 10 minutes of the game.

The Falcons marched down the field and junior Ebony Reddick scored to give the Falcons a 1-0 lead. After Frostburg State tied the contest at one, Vari put the Falcons back in front with her first of three goals on the day.

"I'm honored to have received MVP of the tournament as a freshman and I want to thank my team who has been through everything together," Vari said. "We all push each other to be the best we can be. Today, we came out and gave it our all. We had a lot on the line with it being the championship game as well as the last game ever for our seniors."

The two teams traded goals over the next five minutes, but then the Bobcats took their first and only lead of the game at the 8-minute mark. Anna Kearney scored off an assist by Stephanie King, making the score 4-3, in favor of FSU.

Notre Dame put two goals on the board in the final five minutes of the first half. With 4:04 remaining before the halftime break, Reddick found graduate student Amanda Paino, who put the ball in the net. And then with 1:17 on the clock, a deflected NDC shot was picked up by Reddick who passed to senior Selena Carter for the goal.

"We were trying to stay calm and make sure we ran out our plays and it came to us," Reddick said.

At halftime, Frostburg State and Notre Dame were tied at five. Both teams took 19 shots in the first 30 minutes. Levine stopped seven shots for NDC in the first half, while McKenna Shay saved nine shots for FSU.

"It was a tight game, tight at halftime," Morhac mentioned. "Both teams were scrapping really hard, but luckily we got a couple more bounces our way and came out on top for our first conference championship. It's a great way to cap off the year for sure."

NDC won the draw control to start the second half, and wasted little time as Vari scored less than a minute into the second stanza. Freshman Megan Jackson then put NDC up by two goals, 7-5, with a goal two minutes later.

Reddick would score the next two NDC goals and give the Falcons a 9-7 lead with 11:49 on the clock. Sophomore Alicyn Loberg then caused a turnover and junior Katie Wendell turned the turnover into a goal on the other end. That gave Notre Dame a three-goal lead.

After FSU scored on a free position shot, junior Megan Dano scored, what would turn out to be, the game-winner and NDC led 11-8, with 8:07 on the clock. Paino and Vari combined to put Notre Dame up five, 13-8, with back-to-back goals.

"This means the world to me," Paino said. "To be able to come here and be right on the brink of all this success, it felt really nice to come in and help them get to where they wanted to go. Definitely rewarding."

Frostburg State closed within three goals, when they scored twice, ten seconds apart. The final goal of the day came on a free position shot from Paino, with one second remaining.

"We have to settle in a little bit and then once we do, we can really showcase what we're capable of," Morhac said. "Second halves have been a lot better. Again, it was a full team effort, all the way from the goalie to the attack. Our bench was hyped the entire time, so this was a true team conference championship."

"This is my first championship ever, it's a really good feeling," Reddick explained. "I'm glad my team pulled through. They had poise, effort and execution and they pushed for the whole 60 minutes to make sure we got this ring."

The Falcons finish the year with 12 victories, which is tied for the most in program history.

In the championship game, Paino led the team with four goals, five groundballs and three caused turnovers. Those are season-highs for her in groundballs and caused turnovers. Loberg won seven draw controls, which is tied for the most in an MEC Tournament game. Reddick and Vari each had three goals and Reddick added two assists. Wendell had a goal, two caused turnovers and four draw controls. Levine ended the game with 10 saves. She had 23 saves throughout the tournament.

After the game, Paino, Wendell and Levine were named to the All-Tournament Team and Vari earned MVP honors.