BALTIMORE - The UMBC women's lacrosse team (7-7, 2-2 AEC) travels north to take on America East rival Albany (7-6, 2-1 AEC) Saturday at 4 p.m. at the Great Danes' John Fallon Field.
Last Time Out: The Retrievers stormed out to a 10-5 lead, then held on for an 11-10 non-conference victory at regional rival American on April 8. Freshman attack Emily Coady (Westminster, Md./Westminster) scored three goals, including the game-winner with 4:23 left. Senior attack Abbey Swift (Baltimore, Md./Towson) tallied four points on two goals and two assists, while junior goalie Kate Quick (Phoenix, Md./Maryvale Prep) - the reigning America East Defender of the Week - made five saves.
Who's Up Next: The Retrievers close out their home slate with their final non-conference game of the year when they host Le Moyne on Saturday, April 18 at 1 p.m. UMBC will honor its four seniors - Swift, midfielder Kara Dorr (Bel Air, Md./C. Milton Wright), defender Ashley Lancer (Bel Air, Md./C. Milton Wright) and goalie Susie Sweeney (Madison, N.J./Madison) - in a pregame Senior Day ceremony.
On the Great Danes: Albany is 7-6 on the season and 2-1 in America East play after an 11-10 victory over Siena on Tuesday. Attack Kayla Best leads the Great Danes with 36 goals and 46 points, while attack Julie Bush is tops with 17 assists. Midfielder Nikki Branchini and goalie Katie Neer are tied for the team lead with 32 ground balls apiece, while Branchini has also won a team-best 44 draw controls. Neer has posted an 11.70 GAA and a .429 save percentage with 111 saves on the season. Freshman attack Melanie Sosnowski is the reigning America East Rookie of the Week. Albany entered the week ranking second in the America East in goals per game (12.54), ground balls (18.31 pg) and draw controls (14.15 pg).
Last Time vs. the Great Danes: The Retrievers held a 12-10 lead with 15 minutes remaining, but Albany scored seven unanswered goals for the 17-12 come-from-behind victory last season at UMBC Stadium. UMBC midfielder Amanda Pappas (Pasadena, Md./Chesapeake) led the Retrievers with her first career hat trick. Best and attack Tee Ladouceur each scored six goals and seven points to lead the Great Danes.
UMBC vs. Albany All-Time: The Retrievers and Great Danes have each won three of six meetings in the all-time series, which dates to 2001. Albany has won the last two matchups and three of the last four. UMBC and Albany have been conference opponents since 2004, when the Retrievers joined the America East.
20/20: Seven Retrievers have tallied at least 20 points this season, the most players to reach that mark since 2003, when seven Retrievers accomplished the feat. In addition, three Retrievers - Dorr, Pappas and sophomore midfielder Ashley Stodter (Silver Spring, Md./Good Counsel) - have scored at least 20 goals, the most since five players reached that mark in 2007.
Home Sweet Home: The Retrievers are 5-2 inside the friendly confines of UMBC Stadium this season, and they are outscoring their opponents, 101-63, at home. Dorr has scored a team-best 23 goals at UMBC Stadium, while Quick has posted a 9.30 goals-against average and a .521 save percentage. A total of 13 different Retrievers have found the back of the net in home games.
Going Streaking: Stodter has scored at least one point in 12 straight games, the longest current streak on the team. Other Retrievers with active streaks include Dorr at seven and Swift and sophomore midfielder Carrie Paris (Longwood, Fla./Lake Brantley) at three each. Pappas had her eight-game streak snapped when she was held scoreless at American on Wednesday.
Swift Resurgence: The Retrievers' top returning scorer entering the season, Swift had scored just seven goals and 12 points through the first 11 games of the season. But in the last three contests, the senior has more than matched that output, tallying eight goals and 12 points, including a career-high five goals against Binghamton on April 1.
Knocking on the Dorr: Despite missing half of last season with an injury, Dorr needs just seven more goals to reach 100 for her career. She has scored a career-high 33 goals and 41 points so far in 2009, and she reached the 100-point milestone on March 21 against Stony Brook.
Taking on the Best: UMBC will face four teams this season that were ranked in the top 20 in the most recent IWLCA Coaches' Poll, including No. 10 Vanderbilt (Feb. 21), No. 12 Boston University (April 25), No. 16 Loyola (Feb. 25) and No. 18 New Hampshire (April 4). In addition, Old Dominion (March 13) received votes in the poll.
Underclassmen on Top: Six of UMBC's top nine scorers this season are freshmen and sophomores. Coady ranks second with 19 points, while Pappas is third with 28, freshman midfielder Bria Phillips (Davidsonville, Md./Coronado (Calif.)) is fifth with 23, Stodter is sixth with 21, sophomore attack Erika Braerman (Fallston, Md./Fallston) is eighth with 18 and Paris is ninth with 14. In addition, Coady leads the Retrievers with 11 assists, while sophomore defender C.J. Durham (Pasadena, Md./Chesapeake) is tops on the team with 24 caused turnovers.
Beasts in the America East: UMBC leads the America East in caused turnovers per game (11.21) and save percentage (.483) and ranks second in points per game (16.93) and goals-against average (10.00). Dorr ranks fifth in the conference in goals per game (2.54), fourth in shots (6.23 pg) and caused turnovers (1.38 pg) and seventh in points (3.15 pg). Durham is second in caused turnovers (1.71 pg), while Quick is third in GAA (10.34) and save percentage (.486) and fourth in saves per game (8.57).
Among the Best: UMBC entered the week ranking 10th in the nation in caused turnovers per game (11.23), 17th in points (226) and 26th in scoring defense (10.0). Quick ranked in the top 50 in the NCAA in save percentage (17th, .496), saves per game (28th, 9.0) and goals-against average (31st, 10.38). In addition, Durham ranked 25th in caused turnovers per game (1.77), while Dorr was 42nd in draw controls (2.62 pg).
