Women's Lacrosse 4/28/2026 2:26:00 PM

No. 4 Seed Women's Lacrosse Travels to Top-Seeded Vermont for Friday's America East Semifinals

The championship kicks off on Friday with semifinal action. No. 1 Vermont battles No. 4 UMBC at 4 p.m. while No. 2 UAlbany faces No. 3 Bryant in the nightcap at 7 p.m. The Catamounts beat the Retrievers 12-8 earlier this season while the Great Danes took down the Bulldogs 9-8.
The semifinal winners will go head-to-head for the 2026 conference championship on Sunday at 12 p.m. All games of the 2026 America East Women's Lacrosse Championship will air on ESPN+.
Stay up-to-date on the tournament by visiting Championship Central for streaming and live stats links as well as box scores, highlights and recaps following each round in addition to team information, tournament history and more.
Follow @AmericaEast on X to get the real-time championship updates. Use the #AEChamps and #AEWLAX hashtags to join the conversation.

Dawg Bytes

UMBC leads the circuit in shots per game (31.14), shots on goal per game (22.93), fewest turnovers per game (11.71), and goals against per game (10.10).
Attacker Emily Knapp is second in the America East in goals per game (3.36, 17th in the NCAA) and leads the circuit in points per game (4.07, 46th in the NCAA). Only UMBC Hall of Famer Laura Robinson (1984-1987) has scored more goals over her first two career seasons
Knapp has recorded 94 goals and 31 assists (125 points) in just 30 career appearances (4.17 ppg.)
Attacker Reese Macintosh ranks fourth in the AE with 1.50 assists per game and is 7th in points per game (3.21).
Attacker Libby Staples is ninth in assists per game (1.14) and 15th in draw controls (1.93 per game).
Defender Ella Killian ranks 8th in the league in draw controls (3.07 per game).
Face off specialist Olivia Worden is fifth in the league with 3.71 draw controls per game.
Goalie Emine Luznar is second in the AE with a 9.28 goals against average (25th NCAA) and a .498 saves percentage (8th NCAA). Her 17 saves against UMass Lowell were the second-most in the league this season.

Last Time Out

UMBC closed out the regular season with a 16-9 victory over New Hampshire as the program celebrated Senior Day at UMBC Stadium. The victory pushed UMBC into a three-way tie for fourth place in the America East, earning it a spot in the America East playoffs via tiebreaker.
UMBC built an 11-4 advantage at halftime, thanks to a nine-goal run spanning nearly 18 minutes of game action. Tied 2-2, Tess Curtis scored her second goal of the game with 5:33 left on the opening quarter clock to put the Retrievers ahead. Claire Moffitt and Sam Hewitt scored goals in the next 1:15 to push UMBC's lead to 5-2 before Emily Knapp scored three goals in the span of 1:35 to boost the Retriever lead to 8-2. Reese Macintosh scored the final goal of the quarter with 12 seconds left to give UMBC its first nine-goal quarter since Feb. 10, 2024.
UMBC scored the first two goals of the second quarter, pushing the lead to 11-2 before New Hampshire scored the final two goals of the period. Libby Staples got on the board with her 18th goal of the season before Knapp contributed her fourth goal of the half to the cause.
The Retriever goal grew to nine after three quarters as Hewitt, Lizzie Bateman, Macintosh, and Olivia Worden found the back of the net. Hewitt and Macintosh each added their second goal of the day, making it three and nine multi-goal games on the season, respectively. Knapp's fifth goal of the day was the lone goal of the final quarter for the Retrievers as they closed out a 16-9 victory.
With five goals on the day, Knapp sits at 47 goals on the season, leaving her just two shy of Wendy Held for 10th-place on UMBC's all-time single-season list. Knapp has 10 games this season with three or more goals and six with four or more. Two assists from Macintosh put her at 21 on the season, leaving her one shy of a tie for ninth on the program's all-time single-season list.
Knapp also added a career-best 10 draw controls in the contest, while Worden set a new career-high with eight draw controls in the win. Ella Killian caused two turnovers in the win, and Emine Luznar picked up her seventh win of the season, making 11 saves in the process. Rose Pavuk scored five goals in the losing effort for New Hampshire, and Emma Crater made 14 saves for UNH.

About Vermont

Vermont looks to win its second-ever conference title and first since 2022
Six different Catamounts registered a multi-goal game on Saturday afternoon as Vermont defeated UMass Lowell, 14-12, in the team's regular-season finale from Cushing Field. With the win, the Catamounts secured the Regular Season Championship for the first time in program history and clinched the No. 1 seed in the America East Women's Lacrosse Playoffs for the first time in program history.
Jane Trauger is fifth on the circuit with 2.60 goals per game and Lydia Doraz is eighth (2.27)
Doraz is fourth in the league in points per game (3.87) while Trauger is eighth (3.20).
Doraz also slots third in assists (1.60 per game).
Sabine Goodwin is third in the conference in draw controls per game (6.00) and caused turnovers (1.91 per game).
Alya Shea leads the AE in goals against average (9.21) and saves percentage (.517). She's also second in saves per game (8.71).

UMBC America East Tournament History

UMBC seeks its first America East Tournament Championship ever. The Retrievers did win the regular-season title in 2006.
The Retrievers are 2-12 in the America East Tournament all-time and have dropped ten straight games. Their last win came in 2011, a 12-11 overtime triumph over Boston U. in the semifinals.
14th-year head coach Amy Slade is looking for her first AE Tournament win (0-8).

Series History

The Retrievers are 12-10 all-time versus the Catamounts.
UMBC and Vermont have never met in the America East Conference Tournament.
Vermont has won two straight, including a 12-8 setback in Burlington this past March 20 in the snow.
Senior attacker Libby Staples recorded a team-high four points and added a career-high eight draw controls in the contest. Staples (two goals, two assists), sophomore attacker Reese Macintosh (two goals), and sophomore midfielder Tess Curtis (2 goals) led the way offensively. Sophomore goalie Emine Luznar made a then career-high 13 saves, and freshman midfielder Olivia Worden chipped in with six draw controls.
Vermont (5-5, 1-1 AE) got two goals from five different players to break a three-game losing skid. Lydia Doraz and Jane Trauger led the way with two goals and two assists each. Goalie Ayla Shea made 11 saves to lead the defense.
The Catamounts jumped out to a 3-0 lead at the 7:41 mark and never looked back.
UMBC was outshot by a 36-23 margin and committed 17 turnovers compared to eight by Vermont. The Catamounts went 20-for-20 on clears while the Dawgs were 15-of-21. The Retrievers dominated inside the circle as they won 16 of 22 draws.

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.

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 110-101 (.524).
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, 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.

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Players Mentioned

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

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

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

#29 Tess Curtis: Midfield; 5' 4"; Freshman

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

#29 Tess Curtis: Midfield; 5' 4"; Sophomore

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

#23 Emily Knapp: Attack; 5' 5"; Redshirt Sophomore

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

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

Players Mentioned

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

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

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

#29 Tess Curtis
: 5' 4"; Freshman
: Midfield

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

#29 Tess Curtis
: 5' 4"; Sophomore
: Midfield

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

#23 Emily Knapp
: 5' 5"; Redshirt Sophomore
: Attack

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

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