BALTIMORE - The UMBC women's lacrosse team (6-6, 2-1 AEC) takes on its third nationally ranked opponent of the season on Saturday when it hosts No. 19 New Hampshire (7-4, 1-2 AEC) at 12 p.m. at UMBC Stadium.
Last Time Out: The Retrievers defeated America East rival Binghamton, 16-4, Wednesday at UMBC Stadium. Senior attack Abbey Swift (Baltimore, Md./Towson) scored a career-high five goals and added six caused turnovers and four ground balls. Senior midfielder Kara Dorr (Bel Air, Md./C. Milton Wright) also tallied five points on three goals and two assists. Junior goalie Kate Quick (Phoenix, Md./Maryvale Prep) made nine saves and never allowed back-to-back goals in the game.
Who's Up Next: The Retrievers play three of their final four games on the road, starting with a non-conference matchup against regional rival American on Wednesday at 4 p.m. UMBC is 9-2 all-time against the Eagles.
On the Wildcats: New Hampshire, which has been ranked in the IWLCA poll all season, is 7-4 overall and 1-2 in America East play after a 9-8 loss to No. 12 Boston University on Wednesday. Attack Shaunna Kaplan paced the Wildcats with four points on three goals and an assist in the game. Attack Sarah Von Bargen leads UNH with 45 goals and 52 points on the season, while attack Susie Piotrkowski has dished out a team-high 18 assists. Defender Allie Duclos has posted team bests in ground balls (32), draw controls (48) and caused turnovers (18). The Wildcats have outscored their opponents, 148-97, on the season and entered the week leading the America East in goals per game (14.0) and goals-against average (8.63). Goalies Kate Gunts and Nikki Hume have split time in the net this season, with Gunts posting slightly better numbers - a 7.45 goals-against average and a .385 save percentage. New Hampshire was picked to finish second in the America East preseason poll.
Last Time vs. the Wildcats: New Hampshire defeated UMBC, 11-4, last season in Durham, N.H. Attack Ali Levendusky scored three of the Retrievers' four goals. The teams combined to score just two goals in the first half. UNH midfielder Michaela Hardy led the Wildcats with three goals. Quick made nine saves in goal for the Retrievers, while Ashley Milley stopped eight shots for New Hampshire.
UMBC vs. New Hampshire All-Time: The Retrievers have never beaten the Wildcats in seven tries in a series that dates to 1989, the teams' only non-conference meeting. UMBC and New Hampshire have been America East rivals since the Retrievers joined the league in 2004.
Home Sweet Home: The Retrievers are 5-2 inside the 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: Sophomore attack Ashley Stodter (Silver Spring, Md./Good Counsel) has scored at least one point in 10 straight games, the longest current streak on the team. Other Retrievers with active streaks include junior midfielder Amanda Gable (Mount Airy, Md./Glenelg) at nine, sophomore midfielder Amanda Pappas (Pasadena, Md./Chesapeake) at seven and Dorr at six.
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. 11 Vanderbilt (Feb. 21), No. 12 Boston University (April 25), No. 16 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. Freshman attack Emily Coady (Westminster, Md./Wesminster) ranks second with 26 points, while Pappas is third with 25, freshman midfielder Bria Phillips (Davidsonville, Md./Coronado (Calif.) is fourth with 23, Stodter is sixth with 18, sophomore attack Erika Braerman (Fallston, Md./Fallston) is eighth with 16 and sophomore midfielder Carrie Paris (Longwood, Fla./Lake Brantley) is ninth with 11. In addition, Coady leads the Retrievers with 11 assists, while sophomore defender C.J. Durham (Pasadena, Md./Chesapeake) is tops on the team with 21 caused turnovers.
