BALTIMORE - In the final home game of the 2021 season, the UMBC women's lacrosse team will face off against the Binghamton Bearcats for the second time this year.
Prior to the game, the team will honor its seven graduating players: Courtney Renehan, Lily Kennedy, Rachel Walchuck, Lexi Roberts, Olivia Docal, Katie Schluederberg, and Cassie Evans.
UMBC vs. Binghamton Series Info:
Who: UMBC Retrievers (5-4, 4-3 America East) vs. Binghamton Bearcats (3-3, 3-3 America East)
Where: Baltimore, Md. - UMBC Stadium
When: Saturday, April 17 - 12 p.m.
How to Watch: Live Stats | Video
Social: @UMBC_WLacrosse, #RetrieverNation, #AEWLAX
UMBC Athletics COVID-19 Spectator Policy:
At this time, UMBC Athletics is allowing limited spectator attendance at our outdoor sports, including Men's and Women's Lacrosse, Men's and Women's Soccer, Baseball, and Softball. We will not be permitting fans to attend indoor events, including Volleyball.
Attendance is limited to two guests for each student-athlete and coach from both competing teams. Additionally, limited numbers of UMBC students, faculty, and staff that are approved to be on campus are permitted to attend regular-season outdoor events. Total attendance at any event is capped at 250 spectators.
Members of the general public who are not guests of student-athletes or coaches, and who are not members of the UMBC community as outlined above are still not permitted to attend.
All spectators will need to wear a mask at all times and remain socially distanced from others in the venue. Tailgating is prohibited. After the game spectators may not congregate and wait for student-athletes, they are required to leave the venue to allow for a safe exit from the facility for our student-athletes, coaches, and staff. Spectators will also need to remain in approved spectator areas in order to keep themselves and our student-athletes safe.
At the conclusion of the games, we ask all spectators to leave the facility in a timely manner. Spectators are not permitted to wait for student-athletes or coaches. Any close interaction at UMBC Athletics facilities at any time between members of participating teams and spectators is strictly prohibited under the UMBC COVID-19 policy.
UMBC Stadium (Lacrosse)
Due to safety concerns, the bleachers at UMBC Stadium are closed to the public. Spectators can sit on the hill or stand outside the fence adjacent to the outer lane of the track. Spectators are only permitted to enter the facility through the ticket booth bridge gate, accessed by walking down the stairs from Hilltop Circle. All other entrances are closed to spectators.
DAWG BITES
In one of the final road games of the season, UMBC picked up an 11-8 victory over the Vermont Catamounts on April 24.
The Retrievers held a 7-4 lead at halftime, but the Catamounts netted the first goal in the second half to cut the lead to just two.
UMBC put up three goals in the span of three minutes to extend its lead back to five. Senior Olivia Docal had a hand in all three of the scoring, scoring two of them and assisting on Gerow's goal at the 19:13 mark.
Vermont, however, used its own three-goal spurt to cut the lead down to two, 10-8, with just 2:07 to play in the second half. However, Gerow controlled the ensuing draw and found the back of the net with just 50 seconds remaining to seal the win for the Retrievers.
With her six draw controls against the Catamounts, sophomore Megan Halczuk is currently second in program history with 70 draw controls in a single-season. She is 17 away from tying the record set by Caitlin Miller (87).
Claire Bockstie leads the team with 31 points (26g, 5a), followed by Gerow (22g), Courtney Renehan (15g, 6a), Docal (17g, 2a), and Halczuk (15g, 4a).
Lexi Roberts is one of the top goalies in the America East and the country, with a 44.6 saves percentage and 9.78 saves per game. She currently ranks seventh in the nation in ground balls per game with 3.78.
TOP DAWGS
Dymin Gerow became the first women's lacrosse player in UMBC history to be named America East Offensive Player and Rookie of the Week in the same week following her career day against Vermont on April 17. The freshman scored a career-high five goals to go along with three caused turnovers, two draw controls, and two ground balls in UMBC's 11-8 victory over Vermont. It was the first time an America East player had earned both awards since UNH's Catherine Sexton in 2016.
Following the win over UMass Lowell, senior goalkeeper Lexi Roberts and Gerow both garnered America East Women's Lacrosse weekly awards. For the second time this season, Roberts was named Defensive Player of the Week, while Gerow earned her first Rookie of the Week nod.
About the Opponent: Binghamton Bearcats
Binghamton picked up a 13-10 victory over New Hampshire on April 21. The game was tied at 9-9 with 12:12 to play in the second half but the Bearcats scored four straight for the win.
Since the last time UMBC and Binghamton have met, the Bearcats picked up a 20-12 win over Hartford and had their contest against Stony Brook postponed.
Against the Hawks, Paige Volkmann set a program record with 10 points (7g, 3a), earning her first America East Offensive Player of the Week.
Volkmann leads the Bearcats with 29 points off 21 goals and eight assists, followed by Madison Murphy (11g, 3a), Rebecca Korn (10g, 3a), Emily Masera (7g, 4a), and Jamie Golderman (5g, 3a).
In goal, Taylor Passuello is one of the top goalkeepers in the America East, making nine saves per game with a 44.6 saves percentage. The graduate student has started all six games for Binghamton, making a total of 54 stops, including a season-high 14 in the last meeting between the Retrievers and Bearcats.
PADDING THE STAT SHEETS
Multiple Retrievers are in the Top 10 in the America East in multiple stat categories but also find themselves among the ranks in the NCAA.
Megan Halczuk is 10th in the country and first in the America East in draw controls per game with 7.78. Halczuk is a component to helping the Retrievers rank 11th in the nation in draw controls per game (16.11) and seventh in draw control percentage (.617); both marks rank first in the America East.
Dymin Gerow, who is 9-12 from the eight-meter this season, is 14th in the nation in free position goals per game (1.12). Olivia Docal and Courtney Renehan are both 21st with 1.00 goals per game.
Gerow is eighth in the country and first in the America East in free position percentage, making 75.0 percent of her shots from the fan; Renhan is 12th (.700) and Docal is 20th (.667) in the nation, respectively. As a team, the Retrievers are 19th in the country with a 50.0 free position percentage.
Lexi Roberts is seventh in the nation in ground balls per game (3.78), 17th in saves per game (9.78), 33rd in save percentage (.461), and 47th in total saves (88).
THE SERIES
The Retrievers are now 15-2 against the Bearcats and have a 5-1 advantage in the last six contests.
The two teams last met on March 27, where UMBC used five different goal scorers to defeat Binghamton, 16-10, in Vestal. Claire Bockstie and Dymin Gerow each scored four on the day, while Bockstie added two assists for a six-point day. Megan Halczuk tied her career-high for draws with 11 while moving into 10th place in program history for draw controls in a season.
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