Wooster won its third-straight NCAC title in 2004.

Welcome back to the Scot Rewind, where WoosterAthletics.com is taking a look back at a big win, a monster individual performance, or a significant milestone corresponding with each week of the 2020-2021 academic year. The College of Wooster's women's lacrosse team was the cream of the crop in the North Coast Athletic Conference during the early-to-mid 2000s. For this week's rewind, we're taking a look back at the Fighting Scots third consecutive NCAC title in 2004. Here's the recap from Wooster's 10-6 win over Allegheny College, which gave the Scots the NCAC title.

A five-goal flurry during a 6:41 stretch midway through the second half, which included three goals from the stick of Mary Risley, paved the way for Wooster's women's lacrosse team's third-straight NCAC championship, as the Scots downed Allegheny 10-6 Saturday in the finals of the NCAC Tournament, held at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio.

With the win — a single-season school-record 13th for Wooster — the Scots receive the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Div. III Championships, which begins Wednesday, May 5.

The top-seeded Scots found themselves tied 5-5 with upstart Allegheny, the No. 3 seed, at the 20-minute mark of the second half. Then, Risley converted a free position attempt — Wooster's third such goal of the game — with 17:54 to play, and about four minutes later, she got another goal on an assist from Megan Sward to kick-start the title-clinching run.

Wooster went on to score three more times in a little over two minutes, as Katie Graham and Sward sandwiched scores around Risley's third goal of the contest, which marked the junior's second hat trick in as many days.

The Gators actually scored the first three goals of the game, but that would be all of their offense in the first half. The Scots slowly chipped away and took a 4-3 lead into the break, when Graham made a free position shot with 1:41 remaining in the first half.

Allegheny again had an early burst in the second, scoring two of the first three goals to tie it at five.

Sward finished with a Wooster-high four points on two goals and two assists and was selected to the all-tournament team along with Risley, defender Nicole Pritchard, and goalie Nicki Hunt, who recorded 14 saves in the championship game.

The Gators were led on offense by Ashley Lemmon's two goals and two assists, and on defense by Beth McLaughlin's 14 saves. They were joined on the all-tourney by teammates Emily Deering and Ashley Rogerson.

The following day, the NCAA announced pairings for the NCAA Div. III Championships, and Wooster was selected to host an opening-round contest against Nazareth College. That game marked the first NCAA Tournament (all divisions) women's lacrosse game played in the state of Ohio.

Follow Wooster's women's lacrosse team on social media!

Fans can follow Wooster's women's lacrosse team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Interested in becoming a Fighting Scot?

Prospective student-athletes can click here to request more information from a coach and you can view the virtual campus tour here.