Tyler Kraft/UMBC Athletics

Women's Lacrosse 3/10/2026 12:30:00 PM

Women's Lacrosse Opens America East Play Against Binghamton on Saturday at 3pm

UMBC opens the America East schedule with an eye on its second straight victory.
The Retrievers lead the America East with a .714 winning percentage (.714)
The Dawgs lead the circuit in goals per game (14.29), points per game (20.86), shots per game (33.00), shots on goal per game (25.71), woman-up goals per game (2.43), ground balls per game (17.43), fewest turnovers per game (10.71), goals against per game (7.71), and saves percentage (.495).
Emily Knapp leads the America East in goals per game (4.14, 8th in NCAA) and points per game (4.86, 26th in NCAA).
Knapp has recorded 76 goals and 26 assists (102 points) in just 23 career appearances (4.43 ppg.)
Reese Macintosh ranks fourth in the AE with 1.86 assists per game and is 8th in points per game (3.71).
Libby Staples is sixth in assists per game (1.43), 11th in ground balls (1.71 per game), and 13th in draw controls (2.14 per game).
Ella Killian ranks 5^th in the league in draw controls (3.29 per game) and is 8th with 1.29 caused turnovers per game.
Olivia Worden is eighth in the league with 2.86 draw controls per game.
Goalie Emine Luznar leads the AE with a 6.71 goals against average and a .544 save percentage.
UMBC's 47 shots against Delaware State is a league-high this season. The Dawgs also scooped a league-high 24 ground balls against La Salle.

Last Time Out

UMBC had its three-game winning streak halted by the Delaware Blue Hens following a 16-8 defeat on Raymond Field on Wednesday afternoon. UMBC fell to 4-2 on the season while the hosts improved to 1-3. UMBC women's lacrosse jumped out to a 10-2 halftime lead before closing out a 15-5 road win at American on Saturday afternoon. The Retrievers improved to 5-2 on the season as they head into America East Conference play.
Emily Knapp led the offensive attack, scoring four goals and two assists for UMBC. Knapp extended her season-opening streak of games with three or more goals to seven to start the year. The sophomore now has 29 goals and five assists on the season. In 23 games as a Retriever, Knapp has 16 games with at least three goals and 11 with four or more goals. She also went over 100 points for her career.
Knapp scored three of the Retrievers' first four goals as they built a 4-1 lead with 2:44 left in the first half. Libby Staples found Knapp for the first goal just 1:47 into the game before the duo connected again less than a minute later to send UMBC quickly ahead 2-0.
American responded with a goal from Reagan Murdoch, but Annika Wray, Knapp, and Tess Curtis all scored in the final 5:10 of the first period to give UMBC a 5-1 advantage.
Murdoch scored to open the second quarter for the Eagles, but UMBC held American scoreless for the final 14:39 of the half, getting two goals from Staples, Knapp's fourth of the game, and goals from Reese Macintosh and Emma O'Callaghan.
UMBC added five more second-half goals, as O'Callaghan put home her second of the day to open up the second-half scoring before Olivia Worden and Claire Moffitt put their names on the score sheet. Macintosh added her second goal of the game with 11:20 to play in the final quarter off an assist from Lizzie Bateman before Sam Hewitt closed out the scoring for the Retrievers with their 15th goal of the game at the 4:29 mark of the fourth.
With two goals and two assists, Staples now sits with 10 goals and 10 assists on the campaign, good for third on the team in goals and second in assists behind Macintosh.
Knapp also got the job done in other areas, totaling five draw controls, two ground balls, and a caused turnover on Saturday. Ella Killian won four draw controls, picked up two ground balls, and caused two turnovers for UMBC while Worden added three draw controls. Defensively, Emily Renehan caused a game-high and season-high three turnovers. Emine Luznar picked up the win with 11 saves, giving her three straight games with double-digit saves.

About Binghamton

Despite a few weather delays, Binghamton was triumphant last Saturday afternoon, after defeating RMU (2-5) 15–9 on the road.
Emma Blloshmi led the team in scoring with five goals, while Carla Curth reached the 100-point milestone mark with a five-point outing against the Colonials.
The Bearcats come into the contest averaging 10.13 goals per game, which ranks fifth in the America East.
Binghamton is also fifth in the league in goals against average (11.35).
Blloshmi is fifth on the circuit with 3.00 goals per game and is ninth in points per game (3.50).
Cuth is 10^th in the league in goals per game (2.25 per game) and is tied for 14^th in points per game (2.63).
Gretel Cassell is third in the conference in ground balls per game (2.75) and Maryn Savage slots fifth (2.00).
Savage also ranks fourth in caused turnovers per game (1.75).
Emily Backlin is yielding 11.81 goals per game and owns a .406 saves percentage.

Series History

UMBC leads the all-time series over Binghamton, 17-6.
Prior to last season, the Bearcats earned victories in four straight matchups against the Retrievers, including a 13-8 win in the 2024 America East Championship Semifinal, en route to Binghamton's maiden conference title.
Last season, UMBC senior midfielder Katana Nelson's goal with 2:27 remaining gave the women's lacrosse team a remarkable 12-11 come-from-behind victory in Vestal.
UMBC trailed 9-2 with 10:36 left in the second quarter but ripped off nine unanswered goals to grab the lead midway through the third quarter.

Luznar & Worden Honored by America East Conference

The America East Conference named UMBC sophomore goalie Emine Luznar the Goalkeeper of the Week and freshman midfielder Olivia Worden the Rookie of the Week on Monday, March 2.
Luznar picked up victories in the cage against Youngstown State and Wagner. The Catonsville, Maryland native made seven saves in the Retrievers' 14-5 triumph against the Penguins on Wednesday, February 25. The Garrison Forrest product made a season-high ten saves in the 12-5 triumph against Wagner this past Saturday.
Worden produced her first career hat trick with three goals on three shots against Youngstown State. The Riverside, California native also added two draw controls and picked up a ground ball against the Penguins. The Martin Luther King graduate added a goal, two draw controls, and a caused turnover in the victory versus Wagner.

Head Coach Amy Slade

2021 National Lacrosse Hall of Fame inductee Amy (Appelt) Slade is in her 14th season at the helm of the Retrievers and 17th overall with the program. Slade served as a co-head coach for her first two seasons at the head of the program after being hired as an assistant coach in August of 2009.
Slade had a career record of 109-96 (.530).
She enjoyed 11-win seasons in 2016-17, 2017-18, and 2024-25.
Slade, who won the prestigious Tewaaraton Trophy and led the University of Virginia to a national championship in 2004, joined the UMBC women's lacrosse staff in August 2009. She was inducted into the 2020 class of the US Lacrosse Hall of Fame after an illustrious career with the Cavaliers where she was a four-time All-American at Virginia, where she set school records for career goals (258) and points (373) and ranks second in career assists (115). Her goals and points totals are in the top-10, respectively, in the NCAA Division I record books, and she set an NCAA record by scoring a goal in 66 straight games.

Preseason Honors

The America East Conference announced its Preseason All-Conference Team and Preseason Coaches' Poll in January. Sophomore attacker Emily Knapp, senior defender Ella Killian, and sophomore midfielder Tess Curtis were all recognized by the league's coaches.
Knapp burst upon the season in 2025 after earning a redshirt in 2024 and was named the America East Rookie of the Year. Knapp was second in the league with 4.25 points per game (68 points) and finished fifth with 2.94 goals per game (47 goals). She has also added 21 assists, 24 ground balls, and 11 caused turnovers. Knapp was the third Retriever to be named Rookie of the Year and the first since 2022.
The speedy and fearless Killian is a significant reason why UMBC ranked 15th in the country in clearing percentage. Killian, who finished sixth on the circuit with 4.44 draw controls per game, also compiled 24 ground balls and caused 12 turnovers.
Curtis ranked seventh on the squad with 20 points (18 goals, two assists). She recorded hat tricks against La Salle and New Hampshire in her first season as a Retriever.

2025 Rewind

UMBC finished the 2025 season with an 11-5 record and has been picked to finish fifth out of seven teams this year. Last season, the Dawgs placed fourth with a 3-3 conference record
The Dawgs return six players who started at least half of the squad's contests last season (attacker Emily Knapp, attacker Libby Staples, attacker Lizzie Bateman, defender Lauren Flynn, defender Ella Killian, and defender Emily Renehan)
UMBC will look to replace All-Conference performers Grace Bruce (48 goals, 11 assists), Katana Nelson (55 goals), and goalie Isabella Fontana (10.44).

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

#11 Lizzie Bateman: Attack; 5' 7"; Junior

#28 Isabella Fontana: Goalie; 5' 1"; Graduate Student

#2 Ella Killian: Defense; 5' 2"; Junior

#7 Katana Nelson: Midfield; 5' 7"; Senior

#3 Emily Renehan: Defense; 5' 5"; Junior

#24 Grace Bruce: Attack; 5' 3"; Senior

#6 Libby Staples: Attack; 5' 6"; Junior

#14 Lauren Flynn: Defense; 5' 3"; Sophomore

#23 Emily Knapp: Attack; 5' 5"; Freshman

#19 Reese Macintosh: Attack; 5' 1"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#11 Lizzie Bateman
: 5' 7"; Junior
: Attack

#28 Isabella Fontana
: 5' 1"; Graduate Student
: Goalie

#2 Ella Killian
: 5' 2"; Junior
: Defense

#7 Katana Nelson
: 5' 7"; Senior
: Midfield

#3 Emily Renehan
: 5' 5"; Junior
: Defense

#24 Grace Bruce
: 5' 3"; Senior
: Attack

#6 Libby Staples
: 5' 6"; Junior
: Attack

#14 Lauren Flynn
: 5' 3"; Sophomore
: Defense

#23 Emily Knapp
: 5' 5"; Freshman
: Attack

#19 Reese Macintosh
: 5' 1"; Freshman
: Attack