BALTIMORE - The UMBC women's lacrosse team (8-4, 1-1 AE) plays the first of three straight conference games at home when it hosts America East rival Vermont (2-7, 0-2 AE) Wednesday afternoon at 1 p.m. at UMBC Stadium. The game can be seen live at UMBCRetrievers.tv.
Last Time Out: The Retrievers saw their six-game winning streak come to an end in a 16-8 loss at America East rival New Hampshire on Saturday. Sophomore attack Alicia Krause (Ellicott City, Md./Mount Hebron/Duquesne) led UMBC with three points on two goals and an assist. Senior goalie Kate Quick (Phoenix, Md./Maryvale Prep) recorded seven saves between the pipes.
On the Catamounts: Vermont is 2-7 on the season and 0-2 in America East play after an 11-10 loss at Stony Brook on Saturday. Attack Samantha Stern and midfielder Megan MacDonald paced the Catamounts with three goals apiece. MacDonald leads Vermont with 21 points this season, while Stern has scored a team-high 16 goals. MacDonald also boasts team bests of 27 ground balls and 19 draw controls. Laura Barber and Taylor Hadcock have split time in goal this season, and Barber leads the way with a 12.50 goals-against average and a .333 save percentage. The Catamounts, who were picked to finish in a tie for third in the America East preseason poll, have been outscored, 130-90, through nine games.
Inside the Series: The all-time series between UMBC and Vermont is tied, 3-3, but the Catamounts have taken the last three meetings, including an 11-6 decision in Burlington last season. Six different Retrievers accounted for UMBC's six goals, and Quick tallied nine saves.
For Starters: At 8-4, UMBC is off to its best start since also winning eight of its first 12 games in 2002. The Retrievers are just one victory shy of matching their entire win total from the 2009 campaign, when they posted a 9-8 overall record.
20/20: Five Retrievers - junior attack Erika Braerman (24), junior midfielder Amanda Pappas (23), sophomore attack Emily Coady (21), junior midfielder Ashley Stodter (21) and Krause (20) - have scored at least 20 goals this season, the most players to reach that mark since the same number accomplished the feat in 2007.
Quick Stops: Quick ranks second in the America East and 14th in the NCAA with an 8.35 goals-against average. She has allowed double-digit goals just three times this season. In addition, her .463 save percentage ranks third among league leaders, and her 6.83 saves per game rank sixth.
Tenacious D: As a team, the Retrievers boast the 12th-best scoring defense in the nation, allowing just 8.18 goals per game. In addition, UMBC's 10.33 caused turnovers per contest lead the America East and rank 19th in the NCAA, while junior defender C.J. Durham (Pasadena, Md./Chesapeake) ranks fourth in the conference and 35th in the nation with 1.67 caused turnovers per game.
Helping Hand: Braerman (Fallston, Md./Fallston) ranks third in the America East and 35th in the NCAA with 1.42 assists per game. Her 17 helpers are the most by a Retriever since Meghan Keelan dished out 21 in 2008, and she is one assist shy of joining UMBC's top 10 for assists in a single season.
Going Streaking: Braerman has tallied at least one point in all 12 games so far this season with a goal in all but one, including eight in a row, while Krause has found the back of the net in all 11 games in which she has played. Stodter (Silver Spring, Md./Good Counsel) has scored in nine straight and 11 of 12 overall, while Pappas (Pasadena, Md./Chesapeake) has scored in seven of the eight games in which she has played, including the last five.
Retrievers Honored: 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. Pappas repeated as Player of the Week on March 29, while Quick earned the league's Defensive Player of the Week on March 22, the third such honor of her career. The six weekly awards this season are the most UMBC has received in seven years in the America East Conference. Braerman was the first Retriever to garner Player of the Week since Ali Levendusky on April 7, 2008, and Pappas is the first Retriever to earn the honor twice in a season since Levendusky that same year. In addition, it is the first time since 2004 that a pair of Retrievers has been named Rookie of the Week in the same season. Finally, when Braerman and Cox took home their awards for Week 1, it was the first time that two Retrievers earned America East honors in the same week since Levendusky and Susie Sweeney were named Player and Defender of the Week, respectively, on March 2, 2006.
Top Dawg: Pappas ranks second in the America East in goals per game (2.88) and third in points per game (3.5), while Braerman ranks fourth in points (3.42) and ninth in goals (2.0). Pappas and Stodter are also tied for the league lead with three game-winning goals apiece, while Pappas leads the conference in shots per game (6.62) and Stodter ranks seventh (5.25). In addition, senior midfielder Amanda Gable (Mount Airy, Md./Glenelg) ranks third in draw controls per contest (2.08). Finally, Krause's 0.91 free-position goals per game rank second, while Pappas' 0.88 are fourth. As a team, UMBC ranks second in the league in goals per game (12.50), points per game (17.08), draw controls per game (11.75), shots per game (30.17) and turnovers per game (15.17).
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. 13 Loyola (Feb. 23), No. 10 Vanderbilt (Feb. 27) and No. 8 Towson (March 3) in three consecutive games, and will also face No. 17 Boston University on Saturday. In addition, New Hampshire (April 3) is ranked 17th in the Inside Lacrosse media poll, while Albany (April 18) is receiving votes.
Dawg Bites: The loss to New Hampshire on Saturday snapped a six-game winning streak, UMBC's longest since also taking six in a row from April 17-May 3, 2003… The Retrievers… 20 goals scored against Manhattan on March 29 were the most since also tallying 20 against Iona on March 17, 2009… Thirteen Retrievers have found the back of the net so far this season, including seven in double digits… Krause leads UMBC with eight multi-goal games, while Braerman has posted a team-best 10 multi-point efforts… She leads the Retrievers with 24 goals, 17 assists and 41 points, all career highs… Quick has picked up a team-best 29 ground balls, while Gable has won a team-high 25 draw controls and Durham leads UMBC with 20 caused turnovers… The Retrievers were picked to finish fifth in the America East preseason poll.
