GAME 15: Mount St. Mary's (5-9, 4-2 NEC) at LIU Brooklyn (1-11, 1-4 NEC)
WHEN: Fri, Apr. 13, 2012, 4 p.m.
WHERE: LIU Field, Brooklyn, N.Y.
SERIES INFORMATION: Mount leads 8-1
LAST MEETING: Mount (10-6) 4-1-11
FIRST MEETING: Mount (10-6) 4-25-03
LAST LIU BROOKLYN WIN: (9-8) 4-21-06
opening draw... Friday's game between Mount St. Mary's and LIU Brooklyn marks the 10th meeting in the all-time series dating back to the 2003 season. The Mount leads the series 8-1 including wins in the last five matches. The Mountaineers won last year's tilt 10-6 while the Blackbirds' only win was a 9-8 decision in 2006.
the word on the blackbirds… LIU Brooklyn comes into the contest 1-11 overall and 1-4 in Northeast Conference play after defeating Wagner 14-13 on Apr. 5. Sophomore A Shakoya Smith leads the team with 33 goals and three assists for 36 points. Freshman M Brittany Rader has 19 tallies and four assists for 23 points while sophomore A Katie Williams has 23 points with 14 goals and nine assists for 23 points. Sophomore D Jesenia Cantres paces the defense with 23 caused turnovers and 23 ground balls. Sophomore GK Gina Haber has 128 saves, a 17.89 goals against average and a .405 save percentage.
last time we met… Nicole Price powered an eight goal second half with two tallies and three assists to pace Mount St. Mary's past Long Island 10-6 on Apr. 1, 2011. She finished with three goals and a career-high three assists for a career-best six points. Jen Semler notched her third-straight hat trick and Brigid McTavish made seven saves in the winning effort. Katie Williams fueled the Blackbirds with two goals and two assists and Kimberly Kovar added a tally and a helper, and Jacqueline Simonian turned away 14 shots in the loss.
GAME 16: Mount St. Mary's (5-9, 4-2 NEC) at Wagner (6-7, 1-4 NEC)
WHEN: Sun, Apr. 15, 2012, 1 p.m.
WHERE: Wagner College Stadium, Staten Island, N.Y.
SERIES INFORMATION: Mount leads 13-3
LAST MEETING: Mount (13-8) 3-27-11
FIRST MEETING: Mount (16-6) 4-25-97
LAST WAGNER WIN: (8-7) 4-16-05
opening draw... Sunday's match between Mount St. Mary's and Wagner marks the 17th meeting in the all-time series dating back to the 1997 season. The Mount has won the last seven meetings in the series to take a 13-3 margin in the all-time matchup. The Mountaineers are 5-3 at Wagner College Stadium, but Mount St. Mary's has won the last three tilts in Staten Island. The Mount won 13-4 last year while the Seahawks last win was an 8-7 decision in 2005.
the word on the seahawks… Wagner comes into the weekend 6-7 overall and 1-4 in Northeast Conference play after falling 14-13 to LIU Brooklyn on Apr. 5. Senior A Carolyn Clark leads the team with 38 goals and seven assists for 45 points. Sophomore A Sam Morin ranks second with 34 tallies and seven assists for 41 points while senior M Lauren Petrik is third on the squad with 19 goals and 20 helpers for 39 points. Sophomore D Katy Bender leads the defense with 18 caused turnovers and 18 ground balls. Freshman GK Shannon Sweeney has 89 saves, an 11.78 goals against average and a .447 save percentage.
last time we met… Jen Semler posted four goals and two assists to lead Mount St. Mary's past Wagner 13-4 on Apr. 3, 2011. Esther Rufolo added three goals and an assist for the Mount while Meaghan Conlon tallied two goals and an assist and Nicole Price found the twine twice. Brigid McTavish made five saves in the winning effort. Leea Sinay fueled the Seahawks with two goals and an assist while Deneida McCullough posted a goal and an assist and Morgan Roach turned away nine shots in the loss.
last time out… Meaghan Conlon, Esther Rufolo and Jen Semler made one last connection in their final regular season game at Waldron Family Stadium to propel Mount St. Mary's past Central Connecticut State 8-7 at the buzzer on Saturday. Conlon caused a Blue Devils turnover with 16 seconds left and scooped up the loose ball. After a foul, Rufolo was streaking down the center of the field, who then threw the ball high in the air so that Semler was the only one that could come down with the pass. Ahead of the defense and only with the goalkeeper in front of her, the senior buried the shot into the netting as time expired to hand the Mount victory. Semler paced the Mountaineers with her first hat trick of the season. Rufolo added a goal and an assist while Conlon recorded three ground balls, two draw controls and a caused turnover on Senior Day. Erin Seipp recorded two goals in the winning effort.
next on tap... The Mount concludes the regular season at Monmouth on Apr. 20.
the hunt for april… There is a logjam atop of the Northeast Conference standings. Quinnipiac is in first place with a 6-0 league mark. The Bobcats look to be headed back to the NEC Tournament and could host the event for the second-straight season. The final three spots are still up for grabs with five teams separated by two games (Sacred Heart [4-2], Mount St. Mary's [4-2], Central Connecticut State [3-2], Monmouth [3-3] and Robert Morris [2-3]). Bryant is also in this mix at 3-2, but is not eligible for the postseason. The Bulldogs will still factor in tiebreaker scenarios. The Mount holds the tiebreaker against Sacred Heart, Central Connecticut State and Robert Morris and has a chance to clinch a spot in the tournament this weekend.
Other Games To Watch This Weekend
Apr. 13 – Robert Morris at Central Connecticut State, 3:00
Apr. 13 – Monmouth at Wagner, 3:00
Apr. 13 – Quinnipiac at Sacred Heart, 4:00
Apr. 13 – Saint Francis (Pa.) at Bryant, 7:00
Apr. 15 – Monmouth at LIU Brooklyn, 11:00
Apr. 15 – Robert Morris at Bryant, 12:00
Apr. 15 – Saint Francis (Pa.) at Central Connecticut State, 1:00
on the defense… Senior Meaghan Conlon leads the team with 18 caused turnovers while sophomore Lindsay Diaz has a team-high 48 draw controls and sophomore Gabe Little leads the team with 25 ground balls. Conlon ranks second with 38 draw controls while Diaz is third with 14 caused turnovers and 21 ground balls. Little also stands second on the team with 16 caused turnovers. Senior goalkeeper Brigid McTavish has 92 saves, a 12.00 goals against average and a .367 save percentage.
larri wary no more… Redshirt sophomore Kaitlyn Larrimore leads the team with 26 goals and two assists for 28 points this season. The redshirt sophomore has posted 28 markers and two assists over her last 18 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 17 games.
a seipp to see… Freshman Erin Seipp ranks second on the team with 19 goals and eight assists for 27 points. The freshman has 16 goals and six assists for 22 points in her last seven games, including her first collegiate four-goal performance and two hat tricks in her last four matches.
diaz on d and on o… Sophomore Lindsay Diaz has 13 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 48 draw controls and ranks third on the team with 14 caused turnovers and 21 ground balls. The 48 draw controls are the fifth most in program history on the single-season chart.
the roof... the rufolo is on fire... Senior Esther Rufolo has scored a goal in eight of the last nine games. The senior has registered 12 of her 13 goals this season in that stretch. Last season she paced the team 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.
collegiate debuts and firsts… 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 and Tomilson found the twine for the first time against Quinnipiac on Mar. 31. Sophomore Bridget McGann notched her first collegiate goal against Sacred Heart on Apr. 1
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 april... The Mount is 79-62 all-time in the month of April. The squad is 44-23 at home, but 35-39 away from home. The squad will play two games at home and four on the road in the month.
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 11 goals and seven assists this season, led the team with 33 goals and 15 assists for 48 points as a junior. 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. She registered her first hat trick of the season including the game-winner at the buzzer against Central Connecticut State on Apr. 7.
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.
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 146 draws. The senior can move into second place with two draw controls and is 21 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 (seventh most) in 2010.
moving in on the offensive Top-10… Senior Esther Rufolo has 79 goals in her career and needs seven goals to join the Top-10. The senior can also become the ninth player in team history with 100 tallies with 21 goals. Senior Jen Semler has 24 career assists and can crack the Top-10 in that category with 13 helpers.
mctavish on the move in the net... Senior Brigid McTavish ranks second in program history in career minutes played (3654.37) with Naomi Campano Radio holding the program record (4342.50, 2002-05). McTavish is also second in wins (26) with Campano Radio holding that mark as well with 41. The senior is second in career saves with 479. Campano Radio holds the program record with 770.
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 85-60 at home in its 17 seasons. In the past five campaigns, the Mount is 52-28 in Emmitsburg, including 35-6 against league opponents in that stretch. The Mount moved into the Waldron Family Stadium in 2006 and the squad is 30-24 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 13-20 overall and 10-5 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 144-147 all-time in 17 seasons, including 85-60 at home, 55-78 on the road and 4-9 at a neutral site. The Mount is also 67-30 in the Northeast Conference play. The squad also boasts a 14-0 mark in the MAAC after winning the league in 1997 and 1998.
