BALTIMORE - After enduring a winless month of March, the UMBC women's lacrosse team (2-9, 1-3 AEC) looks to get off on the right foot in April when it takes on America East rival Stony Brook (5-3, 0-1 AEC) Wednesday at 3 p.m. at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium in Stony Brook, N.Y. The game is the Retrievers' last on the road this season, as they will play the final four contests at home.
Last Time Out: The Retrievers are coming off a close 11-9 loss to California-Berkeley (5-5) Sunday afternoon at UMBC Stadium. The Golden Bears scored the first three goals of the game and led 5-2 at halftime and scored three of the first four goals of the second period, but the Retrievers attempted to mount a comeback, tallying three straight over a four-minute span to pull to within two goals at 8-6. The teams alternated goals over the final 15 minutes, and UMBC could get no closer. Senior attack Ali Levendusky (Baldwin, Md./John Carroll) led the Retrievers with three goals and four points. Sophomore midfielder Kelly Burgoyne (Sykesville, Md./Century) was the only other Retriever with multiple points, as she tallied two goals. Alyse Kennedy and Madeleine Dale both notched hat tricks for Cal-Berkeley.
Who's Up Next: The Retrievers return to UMBC Stadium to begin their season-ending four-game homestand against Howard (1-5) Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Last year, UMBC routed the Bison, 23-7, in the season opener, and the Retrievers are 2-0 all-time against Howard in a young series that dates to 2006.
On the Seawolves: Stony Brook is 5-3 overall and 0-1 in America East Conference play after a 14-12 win over American on Saturday. Senior attack Diana Caroleo scored a game-high five goals against the Eagles. Reigning America East Player of the Year Kaitlin Leggio leads the Seawolves in every major category, including goals (22), assists (16), points (38), ground balls (30), draw controls (41) and caused turnovers (15). Leggio also leads the America East with 2.0 assists per game and 4.75 points per game. She and Caroleo both rank among the league leaders in goals, assists and points. Six different Seawolves have scored at least 10 goals and 15 points on the season. Stony Brook has outscored its opponents, 111-105, and has won 124 of 222 draw controls. The Seawolves lead the America East in draw controls, winning 15.5 per game, and rank second in scoring with 13.88 goals per game. Stony Brook is also tops in the league with 10.0 saves per game, led by freshman goalie Jamie Carlson, who has stopped 50 shots while posting a 4-2 record on the season. Stony Brook was predicted to finish third in the America East preseason poll after winning the 2007 regular season.
Last Time vs. the Seawolves: UMBC faced Stony Brook last season on April 14, 2007, a 12-11 Retriever victory. UMBC scored six of the game's first eight goals and held on down the stretch to cool off a red-hot Stony Brook, which had won seven straight entering the game hosted at UMBC Stadium. Midfielder Jen Kasper led the way for the Retrievers with four points on three goals, including the game-winner, while midfielder Kara Dorr (Bel Air, Md./C. Milton Wright) also posted a hat trick. UMBC goalie Kate Quick (Phoenix, Md./Maryvale Prep) made 11 saves in the cage. Stony Brook was led by attack Diana Caroleo's four points.
UMBC vs. Stony Brook All-Time: The Retrievers are 4-0 all-time against the Seawolves in a series that dates to 2004, when UMBC entered the America East Conference.
Hat Tricks for Levendusky: Senior attack Ali Levendusky has scored three or more goals in nine of UMBC's 11 games this season, including a career-high six against Binghamton on Feb. 29. She leads the Retrievers with 33 goals and 36 points on the season. Levendusky has combined with junior midfielder Abbey Swift (Towson, Md./Towson) to score 52 percent of UMBC's goals this season (49 of 95).
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, and she currently ranks ninth all-time at UMBC with 119 career goals. In addition, she became the 11th Retriever ever to reach the 150-point plateau against Cal-Berkeley on March 30, and she is currently tied with former teammate Kelly Fahey for 10th all-time with 152 career points.
UMBC Career Goals
1. Lauren Robinson 192 1984-87
2. Alison Zaetz 158 1993-96
3 Kelly Fiorani 140 2003-06
4. Jackie Abendschoen 132 1985-88
5. Laurie Linnell 129 1984-87
6. Debbie Krastel 127 1996-99
7. Jen Dragoni 123 2001-04
8. Jamie Gerhart 120 1999-2002
9. Ali Levendusky 119 2005-Pres.
10. Jackie Seboda 115 1987-90
UMBC Career Points
1. Laura Robinson 248 1984-87
2. Alison Zaetz 191 1993-96
3. Kelly Fiorani 189 2003-06
4. Laurie Linnell 187 1984-87
5. Jen Dragoni 186 2001-04
6. Jackie Abendschoen 182 1985-89
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 152 2005-Pres.
Top Dawgs: Several Retrievers rank among the league leaders in the America East. Senior attack Ali Levendusky leads the conference with 33 goals and 8.09 shots per game, and she ranks second with 3.0 goals per game and seventh with 3.27 points per game. Senior attack Meghan Keelan (Randallstown, Md./Mount de Sales) ranks eighth with 0.91 assists per game. Junior goalie Susie Sweeney (Madison, N.J./Madison) ranks fifth with 7.22 saves per game, sixth with a .464 save percentage and seventh with a 12.05 goals-against average.
In addition, Levendusky ranks 27th in the nation with in goals per game, 44th in points and 76th in points per game, while Keelan ranks 72nd in the NCAA in assists and 93rd in assists per game. Finally, Sweeney ranks 47th in saves and 51st in saves per game.
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 13th, New Hampshire 14th, Johns Hopkins 15th and Vanderbilt 17th, while Towson (March 15) and Delaware (March 10) received votes. Vanderbilt, Yale, Boston U., Johns Hopkins and Hofstra (Feb. 17) all advanced to 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: A total of 15 different Retrievers have scored at least one point this season with five in double figures, and 14 have scored at least one goal… Senior attack Megan Keelan leads the Retrievers with 10 assists, while freshman midfielder Megan Linkous (Jarrettsville, Md./North Harford) is tops with 19 ground balls… Senior attack Ali Levendusky has posted a team-best 18 draw controls, and senior midfielder Maggie Chizmar (Bel Air, Md./Bel Air) leads UMBC with 11 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.
