BALTIMORE - After wins over Fresno State and Monmouth, the UMBC women's lacrosse team (4-3) looks to make it a perfect 3-0 home stand when it hosts American (2-5) Wednesday afternoon at UMBC Stadium, with game time set for 4 p.m. The game can be viewed live at UMBCRetrievers.tv.
Last Time Out: Junior attack Erika Braerman (Fallston, Md./Fallston) scored a career-best seven points on five goals and two assists in an 11-6 victory over Monmouth on Wednesday. With the Retrievers trailing, 4-2, midway through the first half, senior midfielder Amanda Gable (Mount Airy, Md./Glenelg) tallied back-to-back goals, sparking a 5-0 UMBC run to end the half and send the Retrievers into intermission with a 7-4 lead. The America East Player of the Game, Braerman scored all four of UMBC's second-half goals. Playing in just her second game of the season after recovering from injury, junior defender Meagan Linkous (Jarrettsville, Md./North Harford) tallied three points on two goals and an assist. Senior defender Sarah Willis (Bel Air, Md./C. Milton Wright) recorded six ground balls and five caused turnovers. Senior goalie Kate Quick (Phoenix, Md./Maryvale Prep) registered nine saves between the pipes and also picked up six ground balls.
On the Eagles: American is 2-5 on the season after an 11-9 loss to Colgate on Saturday. Attack Lauren Schoenberger paced the Eagles with three points on two goals and an assist, and goalie Kaska Komosinski recorded 10 saves. She leads her team with 17 points on 10 goals and a team-high seven assists, while midfielder Amanda Makoid is tops with 12 goals on the year. Midfielder Emily Stankiewicz leads the Eagles with 17 ground balls and 17 draw controls, and midfielder Emma Larkin has caused a team-best 10 turnovers. Komosinski and Frankie Solomon have split time between the pipes, with Komosinski posted the better numbers, a 10.38 GAA and a .459 save percentage. American was picked to finish sixth in the Patriot League preseason poll.
Inside the Series: UMBC leads the all-time series against American, 10-2. The teams last met last season in Washington, D.C., a game the Retrievers won, 11-10. Attack Emily Coady (Westminster, Md./Westminster) scored three goals, including the game-winner with 4:23 remaining, while attack Abbey Swift tallied four points on two goals and two assists.
Top Dawgs: Junior midfielder Amanda Pappas (Pasadena, Md./Chesapeake) is tied for second in the America East Conference with 3.5 goals per game, while Braerman ranks 10th at 2.29. The teammates also rank fourth and third, respectively, in points per game, as Braerman averages 3.86 and Pappas 3.75. In addition, Braerman (1.57) and sophomore midfielder Bria Phillips (0.86) rank sixth and ninth, respectively, in assists per game. Junior midfielder Ashley Stodter (Silver Spring, Md./Good Counsel) is tied for the league lead with three game-winning goals on the season. Pappas (6.5, T-1st) and Stodter (5.71, 6th) are also among the league leaders in shots per game, while Gable is tied for second in draw controls (3.0 pg) and junior defender C.J. Durham (Pasadena, Md./Chesapeake) ranks second in caused turnovers (1.86 pg). Finally, Quick ranks sixth in saves per game (7.43) and is fourth among players with at least 100 minutes between the pipes in goals-against average (8.60) and save percentage (.486). As a team, UMBC leads the America East in caused turnovers (11.29 pg) and ranks second in goals (12.0 pg), points (16.43 pg), draw controls (11.43 pg), shots (29.14 pg) and goals-against average (8.29).
Among the Best: Braerman ranks 13th in the nation in points (27) and 17th in assists (11). She is also among the nation's top 50 in goals (32nd), assists per game (36th) and points per game (42nd), while Durham ranks 33rd in caused turnovers per game and Gable is 34th in draw controls per game. Quick ranks 20th in goals-against average, 21st in saves (52), 27th in save percentage and 48th in saves per game. As a team, the Retrievers rank among the NCAA's top 25 in a number of categories, including points (14th, 115), caused turnovers (14th), scoring defense (17th), ground balls per game (17th) and scoring margin (24th, 3.71). UMBC also ranks 32nd in scoring offense.
Going Streaking: Braerman has scored a point in all seven games this season, with a goal in all but one, including three in a row, while sophomore attack Alicia Krause (Ellicott City, Md./Mount Hebron/Duquesne) has found the back of the net in all six games in which she has played. Stodter has scored in four straight games, and she and Coady have tallied in six of seven games overall.
Taking on the Best: UMBC will face four teams that were ranked in the top 20 in the most recent IWLCA coaches' poll. The Retrievers took on No. 17 Loyola (Feb. 23), No. 14 Vanderbilt (Feb. 27) and No. 10 Towson (March 3) in three consecutive games, and will also face No. 11 Boston University (April 10). In addition, New Hampshire (April 3) is receiving votes in the poll.
Dawg Bites: At 4-3, UMBC is off to its best seven-game start since 1995, when it also opened the season 4-3… Braerman leads the Retrievers in goals (16), assists (11) and points (27)… Twelve Retrievers have found the back of the net this season, with five in double digits… Braerman and Stodter have each posted four multi-goal games, while Stodter has a team-best six multi-point efforts… Freshman defender Jamie Fahey (Baldwin, Md./Loch Raven) leads UMBC with 19 ground balls on the season, while Gable has won a team-best 21 draw controls and Durham is tops with 13 caused turnovers… Braerman and freshman midfielder Lindsay Cox (High Bridge, N.J./Voorhees) were named America East Player and Rookie of the Week, respectively, for the first week of the season, while Pappas and freshman midfielder Kerianne Allen (Ellicott City, Md./Mount Hebron) earned the same honors a week later… The Retrievers were picked to finish fifth in the America East preseason poll.
