BALTIMORE - The UMBC women's lacrosse team (9-7, 3-2 AEC) heads north this weekend to take on defending America East champion and 12th-ranked Boston University (12-3, 5-0 AEC) Saturday at 1 p.m. at Nickerson Field in the final game of the regular season for both teams.
Where They Stand: With a win over the Terriers, who have already clinched the America East regular-season title, the Retrievers will earn the No. 2 seed in next weekend's four-team conference championships. However, UMBC can still advance to the tournament as the No. 4 seed with a loss and a Vermont loss to Stony Brook. The America East Championships will be played April 30-May 2 at Boston University's Nickerson Field.
Last Time Out: Sophomore midfielder Ashley Stodter (Silver Spring, Md./Good Counsel) scored a career-high five points on three goals and two assists to lead the Retrievers past non-conference foe Le Moyne, 17-7, on April 18 at UMBC Stadium on Senior Day. Freshman attack Emily Coady (Westminster, Md./Westminster) tallied four points on two goals and two helpers, while senior attack Abbey Swift (Baltimore, Md./Towson) also recorded four points on a goal and three assists. Goalies Susie Sweeney (Madison, N.J./Madison) and Kate Quick (Phoenix, Md./Maryvale Prep) combined to make 13 saves.
On the Terriers: Boston U. is 12-3 on the season and 5-0 in America East play. The Terriers are coming off a 15-8 victory over No. 16 Dartmouth in non-conference action on Wednesday. Midfielder Sarah Dalton scored seven goals in the game, while attack Erica Baumgartner tallied eight points on three goals and five assists. Dalton leads the Terriers with 71 goals and 80 points on the season, while Baumgartner is tops with 32 assists. Dalton has also recorded team bests with 44 ground balls, 46 draw controls and 18 caused turnovers. Rachel Klein has played every minute in goal for BU and has posted a 9.92 GAA and .460 save percentage with 128 saves. The Terriers have won 10 straight games since March 14 and have outscored their opponents, 210-150, on the season.
Last Time vs. the Terriers: Down just three at the half, the Retrievers allowed seven straight goals to start the second period, as No. 11 Boston U. defeated UMBC, 14-5, on the Retrievers' 2008 Senior Day. UMBC attack Ali Levendusky led the Retrievers with three points on two goals and an assist. BU's Dalton led all scorers with five goals. Quick tied her season high with 16 saves, while Klein stopped nine shots.
UMBC vs. Boston U. All-Time: The Retrievers are 1-7 all-time against the Terriers. UMBC's only win over Boston University came on April 1, 2006, a 16-13 win over the 11th-ranked Terriers at UMBC Stadium.
Coady Honored: Coady was named America East Rookie of the Week on Monday after tallying four points on two goals and two assists against Le Moyne. She also added two ground balls, two caused turnovers and a draw control. Coady is the first Retriever to win the award since Amanda Gable on April 9, 2007.
20/20: Eight Retrievers have tallied at least 20 points this season, the most players to reach that mark since the same number accomplished the feat in 1999. In addition, four Retrievers - senior midfielder Kara Dorr (37), sophomore midfielder Amanda Pappas (26), Stodter (25) and Coady (21) - have scored at least 20 goals, the most since five players reached that mark in 2007.
30 Rock: Three Retrievers - Dorr (47), Pappas (34) and Coady (34) - have tallied at least 30 points this season, the most players to reach that mark since five players did so in 2007.
Knocking on the Dorr: Despite missing half of last season with an injury, Dorr (Bel Air, Md./C. Milton Wright) needs just three more goals to become the 16th Retriever ever to score 100 in her career. She has scored a career-high 37 goals and 47 points so far in 2009, and she reached the 100-point milestone on March 21 against Stony Brook.
Going Streaking: Stodter has scored at least one goal in 15 of 16 games this season, including a team-best 14 in a row. Other Retrievers with active streaks include Dorr at nine, Swift at five and Coady and junior midfielder Amanda Gable (Mt. Airy, Md./Glenelg) at three.
Home Sweet Home: The Retrievers are 6-3 inside the friendly confines of UMBC Stadium this season, outscoring their opponents, 126-81. Dorr has scored a team-best 27 goals at home, while Quick has posted a 9.56 GAA and a .535 save percentage. A total of 14 different Retrievers have found the back of the net in home games.
Swift Resurgence: The Retrievers' top returning scorer entering the 2009 campaign, Swift had scored just seven goals and 12 points through the first 11 games of the season. But in the last five contests, the senior has more than matched that output, tallying 10 goals and 17 points, including a career-high five goals against Binghamton on April 1. Swift now ranks fourth on the team with 29 points this season, and she is second with a career-high 12 assists. She needs eight points to reach 100 for her career.
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 U. (April 25), No. 17 Loyola (Feb. 25) and No. 19 New Hampshire (April 4). In addition, Towson (March 3) received votes in the poll.
Underclassmen on Top: Six of UMBC's top nine scorers this season are freshmen and sophomores. Pappas (Pasadena, Md./Chesapeake) and Coady are tied for second with 34 points apiece, while Stodter is fifth with 28, freshman midfielder Bria Phillips (Davidsonville, Md./Coronado (Calif.) is sixth with 25, sophomore attack Erika Braerman (Fallston, Md./Fallston) is eighth with 20 and sophomore midfielder Carrie Paris (Longwood, Fla./Lake Brantley) is ninth with 15. In addition, Coady leads the Retrievers with 13 assists, while sophomore defender C.J. Durham (Pasadena, Md./Chesapeake) is tops on the team with 26 caused turnovers.
Top Dawgs: UMBC leads the America East in caused turnovers per game (11.31) and save percentage (.500) and ranks second in goals-against average (9.56) and turnovers per game (16.19). Dorr ranks fourth in the conference in shots per game (6.00), fifth in goals per game (2.47) and eighth in points per game (3.13). Durham is third in caused turnovers per game (1.62), while Quick leads the league in save percentage (.500) and is third in saves per game (8.62) and fourth in goals-against average (10.02).
Among the Best: UMBC ranks ninth in the nation in caused turnovers per game (11.31) and 22nd in scoring defense (9.56). Quick ranks in the top 50 in the NCAA in save percentage (15th, .500), saves per game (29th, 9.0) and GAA (30th, 10.02). In addition, Durham ranks 36th in caused turnovers per game (1.63).
Dawg Bites: The Retrievers have won three in a row and four of their last five games… UMBC nine wins and three America East victories in 2009 are the most since 2006, when it won a share of the conference's regular-season title with 10 overall wins and five league victories… That was also the last year the Retrievers earned a berth in the conference tournament… UMBC's 189 goals this season are the most since scoring 219 in 2006… Quick has been named America East Defender of the Week twice this season… Dorr leads the Retrievers with 10 multi-goal games this season, followed closely by Pappas with nine… On the season, 15 players have scored a goal, with seven in double-digit goals and nine in double-digit points… Junior defender Sarah Willis (Bel Air, Md./C. Milton Wright) has picked up a team-best 32 ground balls this season, while Dorr is tops with 34 draw controls… The Retrievers' 20 goals against Holy Cross on March 6 were the most they had scored in a game since a 23-7 victory over Howard on Feb. 17, 2007… When UMBC tallied 20 goals against Iona on March 17, it marked the first time the Retrievers scored 20 or more goals twice in the same season since 2006… UMBC allowed just one goal to Howard in the season opener on Feb. 14, the fewest goals scored by an opponent since St. Francis (Pa.) scored just one on April 10, 2002… The Retrievers combined to score 38 goals in back-to-back games against Iona (20) and Stony Brook (18) March 17-21, matching last season's best two-game stretch.
