Laxcats set to do battle for league championship

Karen C. Tully Arizona Daily Wildcat UA sophomore goalie Margaret Fifer throws out the ball during a recent practice. The Laxcats traveled this morning to Berkeley in hopes of returning with their first postseason championship.

The Laxcats left this morning at 7 for the Final Four, and this time they don't plan on returning until Monday afternoon Ä the day after Sunday's final.

Tomorrow at 1 p.m. the Laxcats (12-3) start their title run against UC-Davis (17-1), this year's No. 1 seed, in a rematch of last year's semifinal that the Aggies won. UC-Davis cruised past the Laxcats, 11-3 on its way to claiming its third championship i n the last four years.

"Intimidation was a very big problem for us. We were in awe to be on the same field as them," UA co-head coach Josh Dreiband said.

"We were very patient and we overcame their double team in the midfield," UC-Davis head coach Brendan Blakeley said. "We had a lot of fast break opportunities that ended as goals."

For the Aggies, senior Vale Stipovich returns as goaltender. She was the winning goalie in last year's matchup.

Stipovich is a four-year starter and has been named the defensive most valuable player in the Final Four for the past two years.

"Their goalie is an all-star, (so) we need to concentrate on getting great shots off," UA senior Emily Rankin said.

A victory over UC-Davis would advance the Laxcats to the championship game on Sunday at 1 p.m., against the winner of the UC-San Diego-California game.

The Laxcats faced UC-San Diego earlier this year, losing 1-0 in overtime in San Diego.

Dreiband said that Laxcats are heading into their final weekend of play with only victory on their minds. He knows that an entire season of hard work and dedication must come together if the Laxcats want to be successful this weekend.

"Throughout the season we have worked on playing together as a team," UA co-head coach Gene Lower said. "At the beginning of the season we had players who were standouts and players who watched the action."

While this week of practice has been brief, it's been the most crucial of the year. Drieband said preparation has been focused on specific areas of play.

"This week we have been working on ground balls and two vs. two situations. A lot of focus has also been put on fast breaks from ground balls. These are the areas where we got scored on in our last game," said Drieband, referring to the last-second, come from behind 7-6 victory over UC-Santa Barbara last Sunday.

Although the focus of the Laxcats is to play as a team, there are a few players who are expected to step up.

"We are expecting the seniors to rise up, since it is the end of their career," Lower said.

"We will add our experience since this will be our third Final Four. We know about the competition," Rankin said.

Rankin's roommate and fellow senior Jodi Bresnick said, "This is the best team we have ever had. We are the strongest, have the most potential and are mentally prepared."

No player may have to come up bigger than Laxcats' sophomore goaltender Margaret Fifer. She is averaging 14 saves per game and was named the team's most valuable player this season.

"She comes up with a lot of saves. We could have gotten scored on a lot more and lost more games," Drieband said.

Fifer contributes more to the team than just her intense level of play.

"How she is feeling and playing reflects on the rest of the team," Drieband added.

"She is an amazing goalie," Rankin said. "She works well with the defense and as a leader she is always there to keep our spirits up."