BALTIMORE - Riding a four-game winning streak, the UMBC women's lacrosse team (6-3) kicks off America East Conference play on Saturday at Stony Brook (2-7), with game time set for 1 p.m.
Last Time Out: UMBC defeated Delaware, 9-7, on Sunday in Newark, Del. The score was tied at 5-5 at halftime, but the Retrievers tallied four of six goals for their fourth consecutive victory. Sophomore attack Alicia Krause (Ellicott City, Md./Mount Hebron/Duquesne) tallied the eventual game-winner with 7:22 remaining in the game. Sophomore attack Emily Coady (Westminster, Md./Westminster) and junior midfielder Amanda Pappas (Pasadena, Md./Chesapeake) each tallied a game-high three points, while Coady and Krause led the Retrievers with two goals apiece. Senior goalie Kate Quick (Phoenix, Md./Maryvale Prep) recorded a season-high 10 saves.
On the Seawolves: Stony Brook is 2-7 this season and has dropped three in a row after an 18-7 loss at 15th-ranked Loyola on Wednesday. Midfielder Melissa Cook led the Seawolves with a pair of goals, and she is tops on the team with 20 goals and 23 points this season. Midfielder Nicolle Moran is the reigning America East Rookie of the Week and is the second straight Seawolf to garner the award following attack Kerry Kresse last week. Defender Trish Molfetta leads the Seawolves with 22 ground balls and 21 caused turnovers - good for a league-best 2.33 per game - while attack Samantha Djaha and midfielder Jackie Hughes have won a team-best 17 draw controls. Goalie Mickey Cahill has posted an 11.25 goals-against average and a .442 save percentage, but the Seawolves have been outscored, 116-85, on the season. Stony Brook, which was picked to finish sixth in the America East preseason poll, ranks last in the league in draw controls per game (10.0).
Inside the Series: UMBC has never lost to Stony Brook in six all-time meetings dating back to 2003, the Retrievers' first season in the America East. Last season, the Retrievers defeated the Seawolves, 18-11, at UMBC Stadium. Midfielder Kara Dorr scored six goals and Coady added four in the win. Djaha led the Seawolves with four points on three goals and an assist. In three career games against Stony Brook, Quick has allowed an average of 11.0 goals per contest while recording 7.7 saves per game.
Quick Stops: Quick was named America East Defensive Player of the Week on Monday for the third time in her career. She made 15 saves while allowing just nine goals in a pair of UMBC victories last week. The America East First-Team All-Conference keeper a year ago, Quick has allowed double-digit goals just twice this season, in back-to-back losses to ranked opponents Vanderbilt and Towson Feb. 27-March 3. She ranks second in the America East with a 7.63 goals-against average and third with a .511 save percentage on the year.
Top Dawgs: In addition to Quick, a number of other Retrievers rank among the league leaders in several other categories. Pappas is tied for the America East lead in goals per game (3.17), while junior attack Erika Braerman (Fallston, Md./Fallston) ranks ninth (2.11) and leads the league with 1.56 assists per game. The duo is also tied for second in the conference with 3.67 points per game, while junior midfielder Ashley Stodter (Silver Spring, Md./Good Counsel) is tied for the league lead with three game-winning goals on the season. Pappas and Stodter are also among the leaders in shots per game, ranking fourth and fifth, respectively. Finally, senior midfielder Amanda Gable (Mount Airy, Md./Glenelg) ranks third in draw controls (2.44 pg) and junior defender C.J. Durham (Pasadena, Md./Chesapeake) is fifth in caused turnovers (1.78 pg). As a team, the Retrievers boast the America East's second-highest offensive output with 12.44 goals per game and 17.0 points per contest, as well as the second-best defense, allowing just 7.44 goals per game. UMBC is also tops in both turnovers (13.89 pg) and caused turnovers (11.0 pg) and ranks second in draw controls (11.44 pg), shots (29.89 pg) and shot percentage (.416).
Among the Best: UMBC ranks 10th in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 7.44 goals per game. The Retrievers also rank among the top 25 in the NCAA in several other categories, including points (11th, 153), scoring margin (16th, 5.0), caused turnovers (17th, 11.11pg), ground balls (18th, 21.22pg) and winning percentage (23rd, .667). Quick ranks 11th in the nation in goals-against average and 18th in save percentage, while Braerman is 15th in points and 16th in assists.
Going Streaking: Braerman has tallied at least one point in all nine games this season, with a goal in all but one, including five in a row, while Krause has found the back of the net in all eight games in which she has played. Stodter has scored in six straight games and eight of nine overall, while Coady has tallied a point in four straight and eight of nine. Junior defender Meagan Linkous (Jarrettsville, Md./North Harford) has also scored a goal in four straight games since returning from injury.
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. 15 Loyola (Feb. 23), No. 12 Vanderbilt (Feb. 27) and No. 10 Towson (March 3) in three consecutive games, and will also face No. 13 Boston University (April 10). All four teams are also ranked in the top 15 of the Inside Lacrosse media poll, while New Hampshire (April 3) is tabbed 20th and Albany (April 18) is receiving votes. So far UMBC is 0-3 against nationally ranked opponents.
Dawg Bites: At 6-3, UMBC is off to its best start since 1994, and its current four-game winning streak is its best since winning four straight from March 21-April 4, 2006… The Retrievers' 19 goals scored against American on March 17 were the most since tallying 20 against Iona exactly one year earlier… Thirteen Retrievers have found the back of the net this season, including six in double digits… Braerman, Krause, Stodter and Coady have all posted five multi-goal games, while Braerman and Stodter have a team-best seven multi-point efforts… Braerman and Pappas lead the Retrievers with 19 goals apiece, while Braerman is tops with 14 assists and 33 points… Quick and freshman defender Jamie Fahey (Baldwin, Md./Loch Raven) are tied for the team lead with 22 ground balls, while Gable has won a team-high 22 draw controls and Durham is tops with 16 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.
