VESTAL, N.Y. - Senior attack Ali Levendusky (Baldwin, Md./John Carroll) scored a career-high six goals and junior midfielder Abbey Swift (Baltimore, Md./Towson) tied her career best with four as the UMBC women's lacrosse team (2-2, 1-0 AEC) defeated Binghamton (1-2, 0-1 AEC) by a score of 15-8 in both teams' America East Conference opener Friday afternoon at the Bearcats Sports Complex.
Sophomore midfielder Kelly Burgoyne (Sykesville, Md./Century) scored her first goal of the season and the Retrievers' first of the day just 4:38 into the game, sparking a 3-0 UMBC run over the next 2:12 of action.
Binghamton scored two of the next four goals to make the score 5-2, but the Retrievers pulled away with five unanswered tallies before halftime and held a 10-2 lead at intermission. Levendusky led all scorers with three goals in the first half.
UMBC extended its run to 7-0 with the first two goals of the second period, including one by Levendusky just 1:40 after action began. Binghamton midfielder Beth Moore broke up the Retrievers' streak with 19:12 remaining, and the Bearcats went on to score six of the final nine goals of the game.
While six different Retrievers tallied at least once in the first half, Levendusky and Swift were the only UMBC players to score in the second period, with each doubling their previous output.
Levendusky posted a hat trick in each half, and she has scored a team-best 16 goals on the season with at least three in each game. However, it was the first time she had scored as many as five goals in nearly two years (April 15, 2006, at Vermont). Levendusky's six points tied her career high, which she has achieved three times, most recently Feb. 17, 2007, against Howard.
Swift's four goals and five points tied career highs set last season. Sophomore midfielder Megan Cook (Towson, Md./Towson) and senior attack Meghan Keelan (Randallstown, Md./Mount de Sales) posted three points apiece, while junior midfielder Kara Dorr (Bel Air, Md./C. Milton Wright) tallied two goals.
Binghamton's Lizzie Wright led the Bearcats with four points on three goals and an assist, with all three tallies coming in the final 3:44 of play.
UMBC junior goalie Susie Sweeney (Madison, N.J./Madison) made seven saves while allowing five goals in 54:26 of action. Sophomore Kate Quick (Phoenix, Md./Maryvale Prep) played the final 5:34 in the cage and allowed three goals without making a stop. Lauren Scott played all 60 minutes in net for Binghamton and recorded nine saves.
Dorr won a game-high six draws to lead the Retrievers to an 18-6 edge in draw controls. UMBC also out-shot Binghamton, 30-17.
The Retrievers return to action Tuesday, March 4, when they host America East rival Vermont at 3 p.m. at UMBC Stadium.
