Jack Miller

Women's Lacrosse 4/9/2026 12:16:00 PM

Women's Lacrosse Travels to UMass Lowell on Saturday Afternoon

UMBC (6-5, 1-2 America East) at UMass Lowell (4-8, 0-3 America East) | Cushing Field, Lowell, Mass. | Saturday, April 11, 12:00 p.m. | Watch | Live Stats

Dawg Bytes

UMBC will look to end a three-game losing streak when it travels to UMass Lowell on Saturday afternoon.
The Dawgs lead the circuit in goals per game (12.64), shots per game (31.18), shots on goal per game (23.27), ground balls per game (16.73), fewest turnovers per game (11.64), goals against per game (9.0), and saves percentage (.473).
Emily Knapp leads the America East in goals per game (3.36, 11th in the NCAA) and ranks second in points per game (4.09, 35th in the NCAA).
Knapp has recorded 84 goals and 29 assists (113 points) in just 27 career appearances (4.19 ppg.)
Reese Macintosh ranks third in the AE with 1.73 assists per game and is 7th in points per game (3.55).
Libby Staples is eighth in assists per game (1.27) and 12th in points per game (2.82). She's also 12th in draw controls (2.82 per game).
Ella Killian ranks 10th in the league in draw controls (2.82 per game) and is 15th with 1.00 caused turnovers per game.
Olivia Worden is fourth in the league with 3.64 draw controls per game.
Goalie Emine Luznar leads the AE with an 8.51 goals against average (10th NCAA) and is second with a .497 saves percentage (4th NCAA).
UMBC's 47 shots against Delaware State are a league-high this season. The Dawgs also scooped a league-high 24 ground balls against La Salle.

Last Time Out

UMBC jumped out to an early lead, but ultimately fell to conference unbeaten UAlbany, 14-9, on Saturday afternoon.
An extremely tight first half saw UAlbany take a 5-4 lead after the opening 30 minutes. Libby Staples scored a pair of first-half goals, while Annika Wray and Reese Macintosh added goals for the Retrievers.
UAlbany started the scoring at the 12:39 mark as Mya Carroll got on the board, but Macintosh quickly answered off a feed from Lizzie Bateman with 11:04 on the opening quarter clock. Staples and UAlbany's Zareena Sorho traded goals before Staples' second of the day pushed the Retrievers ahead 3-2 with 1:43 to play in the first period.
Annika Wray opened the second quarter with a goal at the 12:28 mark to push UMBC ahead 4-2, but UAlbany would score the final three goals of the half to take a 5-4 lead into halftime.
UAlbany turned the run into an eight-goal spurt, scoring five more in the third before Olivia Worden broke through in the fourth quarter, pulling UMBC back within five with 11:51 to play. Sam Hewitt made it back-to-back goals for the Retrievers, trimming the gap to 10-6 with 9:55 on the clock. Macintosh would score another goal for the Retrievers, Emily Knapp would get on the board, and Staples would make it a hat trick, but the Great Danes would ultimately hold on for a 14-9 victory.
Staples and Macintosh (2 goals, 1 assist) each finished with three points for the Retrievers. Macintosh is second on the team with 39 points this season, scoring 20 goals and handing out 19 assists. Staples' hat trick is her third of the season, giving her 17 goals on the campaign, a new career-high. With her fourth-quarter goal, Worden became the fifth Retriever to reach 10 or more goals scored this season.
The Retrievers travel to UMass Lowell next Saturday for a conference tilt at 12 p.m.
Sophomore goalie Emine Luznar recorded seven saves and added four ground balls in a losing cause. Senior defender Ella Killian picked up four ground balls, and sophomore midfielder Ave Martin forced three turnovers.
UMBC outshot William & Mary by a 32-25 margin, but the Tribe held a 14-10 advantage on draw controls.
Knapp has recorded at least a hat trick eight times this season.

About UMass Lowell

The River Hawks have dropped their first three America East contests.
Senior Kaitlynn Anderson scored a career-high four goals, as UMass Lowell fell on the road to the Binghamton Bearcats on Saturday afternoon.
Anderson, who has scored in three of her seven appearances this season, was one of five River Hawks to record at least one point in the contest. Senior Macy Shultz finished with a team-high five points off two goals and an assist.
Sophomore Georgia Ruscitti added a goal and an assist, while senior Grace Lydon and junior Bronwyn Hilbert each added an assist.
Chloe Bowers is eighth in the league in goals with 2.27 per game.
Shultz is fourth on the circuit with 1.60 assists per game and slots 10^th with 3.20 points per game.
Goalie Alexa Kuhn leads the AE with a .500 save percentage, is second with 9.33 saves per game, and is third with a 9.62 goals against average.

Series History

UMBC is 9-1 against the River Hawks all-time.
The Retrievers are 4-0 in Lowell.
Last season, UMass Lowell came up with a 16-12 victory at UMBC Stadium. Graduated attacker Jillian Goldie scored six goals for the visitors, and current attackman Chloe Bowers added three more. Katana Nelson paced the Dawgs with three goals.

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 110-99 (.526).
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.

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).

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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