BALTIMORE - The UMBC women's lacrosse team (0-2) hosts cross-town rival Loyola (1-2) Tuesday night in a non-conference matchup. The game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at UMBC Stadium. Follow the game from your computer with LiveStats.
Last Time Out: Senior attack Ali Levendusky (Baldwin, Md./John Carroll) and junior attack Abbey Swift (Baltimore, Md./Towson) each posted a hat trick, but the Retrievers lost to 12th-ranked Vanderbilt, 16-7, Saturday morning at UMBC Stadium. UMBC held a 2-1 lead, but the Commodores finished the first half with a 10-2 run to take an 11-4 lead at intermission. The two teams exchanged the first four goals of the second half as Levendusky's third goal of the game kept the Retrievers within range at 13-6 with 16:54 remaining. But just four minutes later, Vanderbilt scored twice in a span of 96 seconds to seal the victory. Junior goalie Susie Sweeney (Madison, N.J./Madison) made 10 saves and allowed eight goals in relief in the final 36:48 of the game.
On the Greyhounds: Loyola (1-2) is coming off a 16-9 loss to Georgetown in both teams' Big East Conference opener. Freshman midfielder Abby Rehfuss scored three goals in the game and is currently tied for the team lead with seven goals and eight points. Freshman midfielder Grace Gavin also has eight points on six goals and two assists, while junior attack Colleen O'Keefe has posted seven goals. Grace has won a team-best 12 draws, while freshman goalie Meg Steffe has corralled a team-high six ground balls. Steffe has posted a 12.90 goals-against average and a .386 save percentage in three starts. Senior defender Kristen Stone was named the Big East Preseason Defensive Player of the Year after earning IWLCA regional All-America honors last season. The Greyhounds were picked to finish fifth in the Big East preseason poll after finishing last season 2-14 overall and 0-5 in the conference.
Last Time vs. the Greyhound: Last season, the Greyhounds nipped the Retrievers, 10-9, in overtime at Diane Geppi-Aikens Field. UMBC led 9-8 with 5:24 remaining, but Loyola senior Kate McHarg found the back of the net on a free-position shot nearly three minutes later to send the game into overtime, and she tallied again with 25 seconds left in the first extra period for the game-winning score. Ali Levendusky and Kelly Fahey led the Retrievers with three goals apiece, while Jen Kasper posted three assists. McHarg and Maura Kenny both posted hat tricks for Loyola. UMBC goalie Susie Sweeney recorded 11 saves in 66 minutes, while Greyhound keeper Karen Nicolaus stopped 12 shots.
UMBC vs. Loyola All-Time: Loyola holds a 24-2-1 advantage in the all-time series with 22 straight victories. The first meeting occurred on April 28, 1973, a 14-6 victory for the Retrievers, who won the first two contests before the Greyhounds' long winning streak. The teams have met each season for the last nine years, and Loyola is 12-1 at UMBC.
Taking on the Best: UMBC will face four teams in 2008 that were ranked in the top 20 in the first IWLCA Coaches' Poll, including No. 9 Johns Hopkins (April 9), No. 12 Vanderbilt (Feb. 22), No. 15 Yale (April 13) and No. 19 Boston University (April 19). In addition, Hofstra, the Retrievers' opponent in the season opener on Saturday, received votes in the rankings. In the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll, Yale was ranked 10th, Johns Hopkins 11th, Vanderbilt 16th, Boston U. 18th and Delaware (March 10) 20th. Vanderbilt, Yale, Boston U., Johns Hopkins and Hofstra all advanced in the 2007 NCAA Tournament.
UMBC Picked Fourth: The UMBC women's lacrosse team was predicted to finish in a tie for fourth place in the America East standings, according to a vote of the league's head coaches. Both the Retrievers and Albany received 19 points apiece in the America East Preseason Coaches' Poll. Three-time defending champion Boston University is the preseason favorite to win its fourth straight league title. The Terriers received four first-place votes and 35 total points. New Hampshire and Stony Brook each received one first place vote, but the Wildcats edged the Seawolves in the preseason standings, 29 points to 27. UMBC (19), Albany (19), Vermont (11) and Binghamton (6) round out the seven-team poll. The top four teams in the conference will advance to the America East Championships April 25-27. The Retrievers look to return to the America East Tournament after missing the postseason for the first time since UMBC joined the league in 2004.
Dawg Bites: Senior attack Ali Levendusky leads the Retrievers with six goals and seven points, as she has posted back-to-back hat tricks in the first two games this season… Levendusky has scored a goal in nine straight games dating to April 4, 2007, against American, and she has tallied at least one point in 11 straight games dating to March 24, 2007, against New Hampshire… Junior midfielder Kara Dorr (Bel Air, Md./C. Milton Wright) had her nine-game point streak snapped against Vanderbilt… Dorr has picked up a team-best five ground balls and also leads the Retrievers with four caused turnovers, while sophomore defender Sarah Willis (Bel Air, Md./C. Milton Wright) has won a team-high four draws… The Retrievers return three of their top five goal scorers from a year ago… UMBC welcomes a large incoming class of 11 freshmen for the 2008 season to go along with eight returning starters and 19 returning letter-winners overall.
