BALTIMORE - The UMBC women's lacrosse team (1-3) looks to snap its three-game skid Friday afternoon when it hosts Holy Cross (2-2) at 4 p.m. at UMBC Stadium. As part of a UMBC lacrosse "Games for a Cause" doubleheader, the contest will benefit the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation through Under Armour's "Power in Pink" initiative.
Power in Pink: The Retrievers will wear pink jerseys provided by Under Armour for the game. A representative from the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation will provide information on the organization and breast cancer. Donations will be collected throughout the game, and UMBC will raffle off a pink iPod donated by Edison Electric. For more information, visit www.underarmour.com/powerinpink and www.komen.org.
Last Time Out: Senior midfielder Kara Dorr (Bel Air, Md./C. Milton Wright) and sophomore midfielder Carrie Paris (Longwood, Fla./Lake Brantley) each scored a pair of goals, but the Retrievers dropped a 14-8 decision to cross-town rival and 18th-ranked Towson Tuesday afternoon at UMBC Stadium. The teams alternated goals for the first 18 minutes, but with the score tied 3-3, the Tigers rattled off six straight goals over the final 10:39 to take a 9-3 lead at halftime. UMBC junior goalie Kate Quick (Phoenix, Md./Maryvale Prep) tied her career high with 16 saves.
On the Crusaders: Holy Cross is 2-2 on the season after a 10-9 double overtime victory at Vermont. The reigning Patriot League Player of the Week, attack Katie Gardner scored three goals, including the game-winner, and added an assist, while midfielder Megan Fenton led the Cruasaders with six points on five goals and an assist. She leads the Patriot League with 3.25 goals per game this season. Goalie Amy Martin also leads the conference with 11.75 saves per game. The Crusaders were picked to finish fifth in the Patriot League preseason poll.
Inside the Series: Friday's game is the first-ever meeting between UMBC and Holy Cross.
Taking on the Best: UMBC will face five teams that were ranked in the top 20 in the most recent IWLCA Coaches' Poll, including No. 10 Boston University (April 25), No. 12 Vanderbilt (Feb. 21), No. 14 Johns Hopkins (March 24), No. 15 New Hampshire (April 4) and No. 19 Towson (March 3).
Retrievers Vanquish Scotland: The Retrievers defeated the Scottish National Team, 17-6, in an exhibition game Feb. 16 at UMBC Stadium. Dorr scored five goals and Swift tallied four to lead UMBC in the victory. With the score tied, 3-3, midway through the first half, the Retrievers scored nine straight goals to lead, 12-3, at the intermission.
Retrievers Picked Sixth: UMBC was predicted to finish sixth in the America East standings, according to a vote of the league's head coaches. The Retrievers received 11 points in the America East Preseason Coaches' Poll. Four-time defending champion Boston University is the preseason favorite to win its fifth straight league title. The Terriers received five first-place votes and 35 total points to edge out New Hampshire, which finished with the remaining two first-place votes and 32 points. Vermont (25), Albany (18), Stony Brook (12), UMBC (11) and Binghamton (8) round out the seven-team poll. The top four teams in the conference will advance to the America East Championships April 30-May 2. The Retrievers look to return to the America East Tournament for the first time since 2006.
