BALTIMORE - After four straight games on the road, the UMBC women's lacrosse team (2-7, 1-2 AEC) returns home Wednesday to host America East rival Albany (5-3, 0-1 AEC) 7:30 p.m. at UMBC Stadium. The Retrievers are looking to end their five-game losing streak that dates back to March 4.
Last Time Out: Senior attack Ali Levendusky (Baldwin, Md./John Carroll) scored three of the Retrievers' four goals, as UMBC fell to America East rival New Hampshire (7-2, 1-0 AEC) by a score of 11-4 Saturday afternoon. The teams combined to score just two goals in the first half and were tied, 1-1, at halftime. But the second half was all New Hampshire, as the Wildcats scored the first four goals of the period and 10 of 13 overall. Sophomore midfielder Megan Cook (Towson, Md./Towson) scored the Retrievers' only other goal of the game, which came on a feed from freshman attack Erika Braerman (Fallston, Md./Fallston) with 7:22 remaining in the game. UMBC sophomore Kate Quick (Phoenix, Md./Maryvale Prep) went the distance in goal and made nine saves against the Wildcats.
Who's Up Next: The Retrievers will host the California Golden Bears (4-4, 1-0 MPSF) on Sunday at 12 p.m., as UMBC will play five of its final six games at home, including ranked opponents Johns Hopkins, Yale and Boston University. UMBC is 2-0 all-time against the Golden Bears.
On the Great Danes: Albany is 5-3 on the season but had their three-game winning streak broken by 11th-ranked Boston University on Saturday. Two of the Great Danes' three losses have come against ranked opponents (Boston U. and North Carolina). Freshman attack Tee Ladouceur leads the Great Danes with 19 goals and 22 points, while junior attack Jane Bush has recorded a team-best 10 assists. Goalie Katie Neer has played in 419 of Albany's 463 minutes with an 11.59 goals-against average and a .477 save percentage. Ladouceur was named America East Rookie of the Week on March 10, and Neer earned America East Defender of the week on March 3. Albany was picked to finish in a tie with UMBC for fourth place in the America East preseason poll.
Last time vs. the Great Danes: In UMBC's 2007 season finale, Albany defeated the Retrievers, 16-7. UMBC got on the board first, but Albany scored the next three goals and seven of the last 10 goals of the period to take a 7-4 halftime lead. The Great Danes opened the second half with an 8-0 run to take a commanding 15-4 lead from which the Retrievers could not recover despite scoring three of the final four goals of the game. Seniors Kelly Fahey and Jen Kasper led the Retrievers with three points each on a goal and an assist, while Abbey Swift scored a team-high two goals. Kate Fontana led Albany with six points on four goals and two assists.
UMBC vs. Albany All-Time: The Retrievers are 3-2 all-time against the Great Danes in a series that dates to 2001. UMBC and Albany have been conference opponents since 2004 when the Retrievers joined the America East, and the teams have split the four-game series as league rivals.
Hat Tricks for Levendusky: Senior attack Ali Levendusky has scored three or more goals in eight of UMBC's nine games this season, including a career-high six against Binghamton on Feb. 29. The only game in which she did not achieve the feat was on March 4 against Vermont, when she was held scoreless. It marked the first time Levendusky did not score a goal since April 4, 2007, an 11-game streak. It also snapped her 13-game point streak.
Milestone Watch: Senior attack Ali Levendusky scored her 100th career goal at Binghamton on Feb. 29, making her just the 15th Retriever to reach that milestone. Levendusky currently has 114 goals, tying her with Renee Tirocchi ('01) for 10th all-time at UMBC. In addition, her 145 points leave her just seven away from joining UMBC's top 10 in that category, and she is on pace to become just the 11th Retriever to reach 150 points in her career.
UMBC Career Goals
1. Lauren Robinson 192 1984-87
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7. Jen Dragoni 123 2001-04
8. Jamie Gerhart 120 1999-2002
9. Jackie Seboda 115 1987-90
10. Renee Tirocchi 114 1998-2001
Ali Levendusky 114 2005-Pres.
UMBC Career Points
1. Laura Robinson 248 1984-87
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7. Jamie Gerhart 173 1999-2002
8. Jackie Seboda 158 1987-90
9. Jenny Held 153 1990-93
10. Kelly Fahey 152 2004-07
-- Ali Levendusky 145 2005-Pres.
Taking on the Best: UMBC will face five teams in 2008 that were ranked in the top 20 in the most recent IWLCA Coaches' Poll, including No. 11 Boston University (April 19), No. 14 Yale (April 13), No. 15 Johns Hopkins (April 9), No. 17 Vanderbilt (Feb. 22) and No. 18 New Hampshire (March 22). In the current Inside Lacrosse Media Poll, Boston U. was ranked 11th, Yale 15th, New Hampshire 16th, Johns Hopkins 17th and Vanderbilt 18th. Vanderbilt, Yale, Boston U., Johns Hopkins and Hofstra (Feb. 17) all advanced to the 2007 NCAA Tournament.
Beasts in the America East: Senior attack Ali Levendusky leads the America East with 28 goals and 7.67 shots per game, and she ranks third with 3.11 goals per game and sixth with 3.22 points per game. Senior attack Meghan Keelan (Randallstown, Md./Mount de Sales) is tied for ninth in the league with 0.89 assists per game, while Abbey Swift (Baltimore, Md./Towson) is 10th with 4.89 shots per game. In addition, junior goalie Susie Sweeney (Madison, N.J./Madison) ranks fourth with a .481 save percentage and an 11.57 goals-against average and fifth with 8.12 saves per game. As a team, UMBC leads the America East with 10.11 saves per game.
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 28 goals and 29 points… Freshman midfielder Megan Linkous (Jarrettsville, Md./North Harford) leads UMBC with 17 ground balls… Levendusky has also posted a team-best with 18 draw controls… Senior midfielder Maggie Chizmar (Bel Air, Md./Bel Air) leads the team with nine caused turnovers… UMBC defeated Loyola on Feb. 26 for the first time in 34 years dating to 1974, during which time the Retrievers had lost 22 straight games to the Greyhounds, including each of the last nine years.
