BALTIMORE – UMBC looks to snap a
two-game skid and pick up its first victory against a ranked team
this season when it hosts No. 19 Johns Hopkins on Wednesday, April
17 at the UMBC Stadium. First draw is set for 4 p.m., with all the
action available live on UMBCRetrievers.tv.
The Retrievers (8-5, 2-2 AEC) dropped back-to-back contests for
the first time this season, following Saturday's 9-6 loss to
Albany. Senior goalie (Lloyd Harbor, N.Y./Cold Spring Harbor)
matched a season-high with 10 saves, including seven stops in the
first half, but the Great Danes outscored UMBC, 7-3, in the second
half en route to taking sole possession of second place in the
America East standings.
Junior midfielder Shannon Harkey (Purcellville,
Va./Loudoun Valley/Florida) has led the Retrievers in scoring in
each of the last two games, registering hat tricks in both
contests. On the season, 13 of Harkey's 26 goals have come on
free-position shots, including all three scores against Albany on
Saturday. Classmate Kristen Bilney (Ellicott City,
Md./Mt. Hebron) is tied with Harkey for second on the team in goals
scored (26) and also leads the squad in caused turnovers (12) and
ground balls (25).
Sophomore midfielder Alyssa Semones (Westminster,
Md./Westminster/Penn State) continues to lead the Retrievers'
offense in scoring, tallying 29 goals and 11 assists for 40 points.
Semones also leads the team with 41 draw controls, ranking fifth in
the America East in draws per game (3.15).
Johns Hopkins (8-5, 1-2 ALC) has won two of its last three
games. Freshman Jenna Reifler scored with 19.5 seconds remaining
against No. 11 Virginia on Thursday to give the Blue Jays a 9-8
upset victory. Junior Taylor D'Amore, the squad's assists and
points leader, dished out five assists in the win against the
Cavaliers. D'Amore, who ranks ninth in the country in assists (35),
also leads the team in ground balls (22) and draw controls (43), in
addition to tallying 23 goals on the year.
Junior Sarah Taylor has registered a team-high 29 goals on the
year and has added 15 ground balls and 22 draw controls, while
freshman Dene' DiMartino has netted 26 goals and pulled in 29
draws.
Senior netminder Cosette Larash made a season-high 14 stops in
Thursday's win, including nine in the second half. Larash has seen
a majority of the action in net this season and has recorded 84
stops on the year.
UMBC owns a 14-9-2 advantage in the all-time series. The
Retrievers snapped a six-game skid against Johns Hopkins last
season, when they beat 19th-ranked team on the road, 7-6.
