GAME 11: Mount St. Mary's (3-7, 2-0 NEC) at Quinnipiac (3-4, 2-0 NEC)
WHEN: Fri, Mar. 30, 2012, 3 p.m.
WHERE: Quinnipiac Field Hockey/Lacrosse Field, Hamden, Conn.
SERIES INFORMATION: Series Tied 9-9
LAST MEETING: Quinnipiac (15-3) 5-1-11
FIRST MEETING: Mount (20-6) 3-29-98
LAST MOUNT WIN: (13-8) 4-27-07
opening draw... Friday's contest between Mount St. Mary's and Quinnipiac marks the 19th meeting in the all-time series dating back to the 1998 season. The Bobcats have won the last eight meetings to even the series at nine. The two teams have met twice four times in the last five years. In the last meeting, Quinnipiac defeated the Mount 15-3 in the NEC Championship Game on May 1, 2011. The Mountaineers last win in the series was a 13-8 decision in the NEC Semifinals in 2007.
the word on the bobcats… Quinnipiac comes into the contest 3-4 overall and 2-0 in Northeast Conference play after defeating LIU Brooklyn 18-7 on Sunday. Junior A Sarah Allen leads the team with three goals and 30 assists for 33 points. Senior M Marissa Caroleo ranks second with 25 markers and five assists for 30 points while junior A Lianne Toomey is third on the team with 15 tallies and eight assists for 23 points. Junior M Chelsea Guerrera leads the defense with 11 ground balls, 10 caused turnovers and 13 draw controls. In goal, senior Noelle Martello and freshman Samantha Tilts have shared the time in between the pipes. Martello has 32 saves and an 18.01 goals against average and a .368 save percentage while Tilts has 41 saves, a 12.42 goals against average and a .456 save percentage this season.
last time we met… Top-seed and host Quinnipiac defeated No. 3 Mount St. Mary's 15-3 in the NEC Tournament Championship Game on May 1. Meaghan Conlon posted a goal and an assist while Kaitlyn Larrimore and Jen Semler also found the twine in the loss. Devon Gibney paced the Bobcats with six markers and an assist while Marrisa Caroleo added three goals and two assists in the winning effort.
GAME 12: Mount St. Mary's (3-7, 2-0 NEC) at Sacred Heart (3-5, 2-0 NEC)
WHEN: Sun, Apr. 1, 2012, 1 p.m.
WHERE: Campus Field, Fairfield, Conn.
SERIES INFORMATION: Mount leads 11-5
LAST MEETING: Mount (10-9) 4-23-11
FIRST MEETING: Mount (12-7) 3-14-98
LAST SACRED HEART WIN: (14-5) 4-23-10
opening draw... Sunday's match between Mount St. Mary's and Sacred Heart marks the 17 meeting in the all-time series dating back to the 1998 season. The Mount leads the series 11-5, including a 10-9 decision in the final regular season game last season to propel the Mountaineers into the NEC Tournament. The Pioneers have won four of the last seven tilts, including a 14-5 decision in 2010.
the word on the pioneers… Sacred Heart comes into the weekend 3-5 overall and 2-0 in Northeast Conference play after defeating Wagner 12-10 on Sunday. Junior A Emily Pepe leads the team with 15 goals and 19 assists for 34 points. Senior A Aurelie Pluijmakers is second on the squad with 23 tallies and three assists for 26 points while senior A Kaitlin Rochler is third with 15 goals and 10 assists for 25 points. Sophomore M Kelsey Russo fuels the defense with 13 caused turnovers, 23 ground balls and 13 caused turnovers. Freshman GK Kelly Keenan has 84 saves, a 12.92 goals against average and a .447 save percentage.
last time we met… Senior Nicole Price scored with 21 seconds left to propel Mount St. Mary's past Sacred Heart and into the Northeast Conference (NEC) Tournament with a 10-9 victory in NEC women's lacrosse action on Apr. 23, 20111. Price took a pass from Jen Semler and found the high-left netting to break a 9-all standstill and cap a 3-0 run by the Mountaineers to secure the win and a spot in the league postseason. Kaitlyn Larrimore paced Mount St. Mary's with a career-high four goals. Semler added a tally and two assists while Meaghan Conlon found the twine twice. Brigid McTavish made four saves in the winning effort. Kate Kmiotek paced the Pioneers with two goals and an assist and Jessica Ingrilli registered two goals while Megan Pepe turned away eight shots in the loss.
last time out… Kaitlyn Larrimore scored four times in the first 31 minutes to help give Mount St. Mary's an 8-3 lead and the Mount held on for a 13-10 victory against Saint Francis (Pa.) on Sunday. Erin Seipp added her second-straight hat trick while Esther Rufolo registered two goals and an assist. Meaghan Conlon was a force all over the field, registering a career-high eight draw controls, two caused turnovers and also found the back of the net in the winning effort.
next on tap... After the two games in Connecticut, the Mount returns home to host Bryant (Apr. 5) and Central Connecticut State (Apr. 7) for its final two regular season home games. The Mountaineers will play its final three regular season matches on the road.
non-conference to nec play…Mount St. Mary's went 10-10 in non-conference play in 2004 and 2005, but since that season the Mount is 13-45 in non-conference play, including 5-27 in the last four seasons. Despite the struggles in non-conference play, the Mount is 36-15 in NEC play since the 2005 season.
on the defense… Senior Meaghan Conlon leads the team with 13 caused turnovers while sophomore Lindsay Diaz has a team-high 30 draw controls and 17 ground balls. Conlon ranks second with 27 draw controls while Diaz is second with 11 caused turnovers. Sophomore Gabe Little is second with 16 ground balls and third with seven caused turnovers. Senior goalkeeper Brigid McTavish has 74 saves, a 13.33 goals against average and a .378 save percentage.
larri wary no more… Redshirt sophomore Kaitlyn Larrimore leads the team with 20 goals and two assists for 22 points this season. The redshirt sophomore has posted 22 markers and two assists over her last 14 games dating back to last year. Larrimore had nine goals and one assist for 10 points in the first 19 games of her career. The redshirt sophomore has posted three four-goal performances in her last 13 games.
a seipp to see… Freshman Erin Seipp ranks second on the team with 11 goals and five assists for 16 points. The freshman has eight goals and three assists for 11 points in her last three games, including her first two collegiate hat tricks in her last two matches.
diaz on d and on o… Sophomore Lindsay Diaz has eight goals this season after posting six goals and two assists for eight points as a freshman. On the defensive side of the ball, Diaz leads the squad with 30 draw controls and 17 ground balls while ranking second with 11 caused turnovers.
collegiate debuts… Freshmen Morgan Dalton, Melissa Cox, Megan Gluck, Hannah Gutcher and Erin Seipp each made their collegiate debut in the season opener against Johns Hopkins on Feb. 22. Cox and Seipp each made their debut in the starting lineup and Seipp notched her first collegiate tally in the game against the Blue Jays. Hayley Tomilson made her collegiate debut against Columbia on Feb. 29. Dalton recorded her first career goal against Iona on Mar. 10 and Gluck had her first career tally against Longwood on Mar. 13. Gutcher notched her first three collegiate scores against Robert Morris on Mar. 23.
preseason poll… The Mount St. Mary's women's lacrosse team has been picked third in the Northeast Conference. Quinnipiac, the defending regular season and tournament champion, picked up six first-place votes to be selected as the preseason favorite. Robert Morris was picked second in the poll while the Mount nabbed two first-place votes to come in at No. 3. Monmouth and Sacred Heart each grabbed the final two first-place nods to finish fourth and fifth while Bryant, Central Connecticut State, Saint Francis (Pa.), Wagner and LIU Brooklyn rounded out the 10-team poll.
local rivalries... Mount St. Mary's will play a pair of local teams this season. The squad started the season at home against Johns Hopkins (L, 18-8) and will end the non-conference slate on the road at George Washington (L, 18-8).
aye, aye captain… Graduate student Nicole Price and seniors Brigid McTavish and Esther Rufolo have been named captains for the 2012 season.
in the month of march… The Mount is 61-55 all-time in the month of March. The squad is 40-17 at home, but just 22-37 away from Emmitsburg. Mount St. Mary's will play five of its eight games in the month at Waldron Family Stadium.
in the month of april... The Mount is 77-61 all-time in the month of April. The squad is 43-22 at home, but 34-39 away from home.
all-conference returners… The Mountaineers return seniors Esther Rufolo and Jen Semler, who both were named to the All-NEC first team in 2011. Rufolo is a two-time All-NEC performer after being selected to the All-NEC second team in 2010 while Semler was named to the Synapse Sports Honor Roll for the week of Mar. 29-Apr. 4, 2011. Sophomore Kaitlyn Larrimore was named to the All-Rookie team. The sophomore was also named the NEC Rookie of the Week for the last week of the season in 2011.
the semlinator... Senior Jen Semler, who registered six goals and five assists this season, was the Mount's top returner on offense from last season after leading the team with 33 goals and 15 assists for 48 points. The senior had a breakout season last year after posting 13 goals and two assists for 15 points in her first two season in Emmitsburg. The 2011 All-NEC first-team selection recorded 11 multi-goal performances as a junior, including three four-goal performances, five hat tricks and three two-tally matches.
the price is right... Graduate student Nicole Price, who has registered four goals and an assist for a team-best five points this season, was the team's second-leading scorer in 2011 after posting 37 goals and eight assists for 45 points. Price registered 12 multi-goal performances after scoring two goals in a game twice, three goals three times and four goals three times on the year. Price only scored one goal against Sacred Heart, but her tally was the decisive marker to propel the Mount into the NEC Tournament. The graduate student then scored four goals to help the Mount beat Robert Morris and advance to the NEC Championship Game. Price returned to the team after taking a year off to go to Snowboarding School in Colorado. Similar to teammate Jen Semler, Price had a breakout season last year after tallying six goals and one assist as a sophomore. She was a member of the women's basketball team as a freshman before joining the women's lacrosse team as a sophomore.
the roof... the rufolo is on fire... Senior Esther Rufolo, who has eight goals and two assists this season, paced the team last season with 52 draw controls and ranked third in scoring with 36 goals and six assists for 41 points. Rufolo posted nine multi-goal performances as a junior, including a career-high six markers against Monmouth. She also recorded a five-goal game, three four-tally performances and three games with two goals.
new to the mountain… Head coach B.J. Johnson has added six newcomers to the team in 2012. Sophomore Hannah Gutcher and freshmen Melissa Cox, Morgan Dalton, Megan Gluck, Erin Seipp and Hayley Tomilson have joined the team this season.
a big draw in team history... Senior Esther Rufolo is making her climb on the all-time career draw control list, sitting in third place with 138 draws. The senior can move into second place with 10 draw controls and is 29 draws away from Sarah Schaffner's (1997-00) program record of 167. She has posted two of the Top-10 marks on the single-season chart for draw controls after grabbing 52 (third most) in 2011 and 47 (sixth most) in 2010.
moving in on the offensive Top-10… Senior Esther Rufolo has 73 goals in her career and needs 13 goals to join the Top-10. The senior can also become the ninth player in team history with 100 tallies with 27 goals. Senior Jen Semler has 22 career assists and can crack the Top-10 in that category with 15 helpers.
mctavish on the move in the net... Senior Brigid McTavish ranks second in program history in career minutes played (3408.37) with Naomi Campano Radio holding the program record (4342.50, 2002-05). McTavish is also second in wins (24) with Campano Radio holding that mark as well with 41. The senior is second in career saves with 461. Next on the list is Randi Paige (464, 1996-98).
the royal blood line... Senior goalkeeper Brigid McTavish is related to one of the best Mount St. Mary's men's basketball player in program history. McTavish's grandfather is the late Jack Sullivan, the Mount's men's basketball all-time leading scorer with 2,672 career points. Sullivan passed away in the fall of 2010.
a family affair… Senior Jen Semler will play her senior season with her cousin Melissa Cox. The two might be on the field at the same time, but on different sides of the field. Semler is an attacker and Cox in a defender.
the local crew... Mount St. Mary's has three players on its roster from Carroll County. Senior Meaghan Conlon (Eldersburg, Md.), senior Brigid McTavish (Mount Airy, Md.) and sophomore Gabe Little (Hampstead, Md.) all hail from the neighboring county.
home sweet home... Mount St. Mary's is 84-59 at home in its 17 seasons. In the past five campaigns, the Mount is 51-27 in Emmitsburg, including 34-5 against league opponents in that stretch. The Mount moved into the Waldron Family Stadium in 2006 and the squad is 29-23 in its new home.
from lucey to johnson… Women's lacrosse head coach B.J. Johnson is in her second season in Emmitsburg. The Mount is 11-18 overall and 8-3 in Northeast Conference play under Johnson. Mount St. Mary's advanced to its fifth Northeast Conference Championship game in her first season. Johnson got married in the summer between her first and second seasons at the Mount.
all-time mark... Mount St. Mary's is 142-145 all-time in 17 seasons, including 84-59 at home, 54-77 on the road and 4-9 at a neutral site. The Mount is also 65-28 in the Northeast Conference play. The squad also boasts a 14-0 mark in the MAAC after winning the league in 1997 and 1998.
