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opening draw... Sunday's game between Mount St. Mary's and Monmouth marks the 27th meeting in the all-time series dating back to the 1996 season.
• The Hawks have won the last three meetings in the series, including an 11-6 win nine days ago.
• Monmouth is 3-0 against the Mountaineers on a neutral site.
• The Mount's last win in the series was a 10-9 decision in 2009.

the word on the hawks… Monmouth comes into the contest 8-10 overall and 6-3 in Northeast Conference play after defeating Quinnipiac 9-4 in the NEC Semifinals on Friday.
• Sophomore M Alex Marino leads the team with 32 goals and 13 assists for 45 points.
• Senior A Sam Lillo, an All-NEC second-team selection, ranks second on the team with 37 goals and five assists for 42 points.
• Sophomore M Kaleigh Gibbons is third with 20 tallies and 19 assists for 39 points.
 • Junior M Gianna D'Urso, an All-NEC first-team selection, paces the defense with 32 caused turnovers and 35 ground balls while Lillo has a team-best 38 draw controls.
• Freshman GK Katie Donohoe, a NEC All-Rookie team selection, has 143 saves, an 11.06 goals against average and a .423 save percentage.

last time we met… Monmouth downed the Mount 11-6 Apr. 20. Erin Seipp fueled the Mount with two goals while Jen Semler had a goal and an assist. Meaghan Conlon, Hannah Gutcher and Esther Rufolo each had a goal. Alex Marino paced the Hawks with three goals and two assists. Olivia Salata added a goal and four assists while Sam Lillo registered a hat trick.

familar foe on the sideline... Monmouth head coach Denise Wescott was the Mount's head coach from 2006-09. 
• Wescott took over at the Mount after the squad won the 2004 and 2005 NEC regular season and tournament titles. She went 33-39 in her four years in Emmitsburg. Wescott is 27-26 with Monmouth.
• The last time Mount St. Mary's and Monmouth played in the NEC Tournament was in the 2007 NEC Championship Game during Wescott's second season with the Mountaineers. The Hawks downed the Mount 9-8.

last time out… Jen Semler had a hand in three first half goals and Brigid McTavish made 10 saves to propel Mount St. Mary's past top-seed Sacred Heart 7-4 in the NEC Semifinals on Friday. Semler recorded two goals and an assist. Erin Seipp added two goals for the Mount while Kaitlyn Larrimore, Lindsay Diaz and Esther Rufolo also found the twine. Gabe Little powered the defense with five ground balls and three caused turnovers.

next on tap... The winner of the NEC Championship Game will earn the NEC's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
• The winner will play the winner of the Colonial Athletic Association next weekend on the road.
• Towson and James Madison will play for the CAA title on Sunday at 1 p.m. in Towson, Md.

mount vs. the hawks in the NEC Tournament... Mount St. Mary's will meet Monmouth in the Northeast Conference Tournament for the 10th time in program history. The Hawks lead the series in the postseason 6-3, but the Mount is 2-1 against Monmouth in the NEC Championship Game. The two teams met in the postseason every season from 1998-2007 with the exception of 2002, the only year the Mountaineers did not qualify for the tournament. The two teams have not met in the postseason since the 2007 NEC Championship Game when the Hawks rallied from an 8-5 deficit with 16:08 remaining for a 9-8 victory.

mount vs. the hawks semifinals vs. finals... In the six meetings between Mount St. Mary's and Monmouth, the average difference in score is 6.3 goals per game. However, the three tilts in the NEC Championship Game have each been decided by one goal. In the last two games, the Mountaineers had the ball with the lead late in regulation and turned the ball over and the Hawks went one to score the game-tying goal. All three matches have been decided in the final minute.

mount vs. the hawks during the mount's tournament run... Mount St. Mary's was 6-4 against Monmouth from 2003-07 that including four NEC Championship Game appearances and two tournament titles for the Mountaineers. Since the Mount won the 2005 crown, the Hawks have won seven of the last nine meetings in the series.

the championships of the past... Mount St. Mary's won the NEC regular season and tournament titles in 2004 and 2005 and then defeated Manhattan each campaign in the NCAA Division I Play-in Game to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Mount St. Mary's also won the regular season crown in 2007, but lost to Monmouth in the finals that year.

championship game records... Mount St. Mary's is 2-3 in the NEC Championship Game after falling 11-9 to UMBC in 2003, defeating Monmouth 11-8 in 2004 and 8-7 in five overtimes in 2005 before the Hawks downed the Mount 9-8 in 2007. Last year, the Mountaineers lost 13-5 to Quinnipiac.

championship games... Mount St. Mary's will be playing in its sixth NEC Championship Game. Quinnipiac and Sacred Heart have participated in four title games while Monmouth holds the record with 10 and UMBC played in six before leaving in 2003.

location, location, location... This will be the third time the Mountaineers have participated in the NEC Championship Game in Connecticut and for the second-straight campaign. The Mount lost 11-9 to UMBC at Sacred Heart in 2003 and fell 13-5 at Quinnipiac in 2012. The squad was in West Long Branch, N.J., for the 2004 title and then hosted the 2005 and 2007 tournaments.

championship game stats... Mount St. Mary's has scored the first goal of the game in the first five NEC Tournament Championship Game appearances. The Mount held the lead at halftime in 2003 and 2004 while Monmouth held the margin in the 2005 and 2007 title matches and Quinnipiac held the lead last season at the half.

player championship game stats... Nicole Di'Angelo holds the championship game for most goals with four against UMBC in 2003. Di'Angelo also had an assist in the 2003, 2004 and 2005 championship games. Katie Mason (2004) and Katelyn Catanese (2007) are the other two players in team history to score at least three times in the title game. Kirby Day has posted the most goals combined in the championship match after registering one in 2003, two in 2004 and two in 2005 for a total of five markers.

storied championship games against monmouth... Mount St. Mary's will face Monmouth in the NEC Championship Game for the fourth time. The Mount faced Monmouth in the 2004, 2005 and 2007 NEC title belts. The Mount won 11-10 in 2004 and 8-7 in an epic five-overtime game in 2005 before the Hawks rallied for a 9-8 win in 2007.

coaches in the northeast conference championship game... Second-year head coach B.J. Johnson is the third Mount St. Mary's head coach to take her team to the Northeast Conference Championship Game. Johnson, who was also the first head coach in team history to accomplish the feat in her first year as head coach, is the second coach to take her team twice to the NEC Championship Game. Courtney Martinez Connor and Denise Wescott guided the Mount to the title game in their second seasons in Emmitsburg. Connor helped the squad to the championship game in 2003, 2004 and 2005 while Wescott was the coach in 2007.

overtime championships... Mount St. Mary's and Monmouth are the only teams to play overtime in the NEC Championship Game when the Mount won an epic five-overtime thriller in 2005 when Kirby Day scored the game-winning goal.

the fourth seed... Mount St. Mary's has the distinction of being the only No. 4 seed to win a postseason game. The Mount now has accomplished the feat twice after downing Monmouth 15-7 in the 2003 NEC Semifinals and beating Sacred Heart 7-5 on Friday. Mount St. Mary's is the No. 4 seed for the sixth time in program history. The squad is 2-5 as a fourth seed after also entering the postseason in that position in 2001, 2003, 2006, 2008 and 2010 and 2012. Last year, the Mountaineers became the first No. 3 seed to win a tournament game with a 13-8 win against Robert Morris before Monmouth won against Quinnipiac 9-4 on Friday.

it matters where we play in the tournament... Mount St. Mary's is 3-1 at home, 3-6 on the road and 2-4 on a neutral site in the NEC Tournament. The Mount has won two of the last three away from Emmitsburg in the NEC Tournament. The Mount is 0-1 at a neutral site in the NEC Championship Game after falling 11-9 to UMBC in the 2003 NEC title game.

the mount in fairfield for the nec tournament... Mount St. Mary's is participating in Northeast Conference Tournament in Fairfield, Conn., for the fourth time in program history. The Mount is 2-3 in games at Sacred Heart in the postseason. The Mount defeated Monmouth 15-9 and lost to UMBC 11-9 during the 2003 NEC Tournament, lost 11-9 to Quinnipiac in the 2009 NEC Semifinals, fell 14-5 to Sacred Heart in the 2010 NEC Semifinals and then downed the Pioneers 7-5 this season in the semifinals.

making the tournament streak... Mount St. Mary's is making its 10th-straight tournament appearance and 14th overall. The Mount has made every NEC Tournament except for the 2002 season. The 10-consecutive appearances is the longest active streak in the league will the 14th trips ties Monmouth for the most in NEC history.

all-conference selections... Senior Meaghan Conlon was named to the All-Northeast Conference first team while seniors Jen Semler and Esther Rufolo, and sophomores Lindsay Diaz and Gabe Little were named to the All-NEC second team.
• The five selections were the most in the league while Quinnipiac and Sacred Heart each had four players recognized.
• The squad has had four players honored in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011, but it was the first time five players earned all-conference honors since 2007.

three of a kind draw... When the draw goes into the air, you can bet that seniors Meaghan Conlon and Esther Rufolo or sophomore Lindsay Diaz have a good chance to scoop up the draw.
• Diaz leads the team with 62 draw controls this season. It is the second most on the single-season chart in program history, eight away from the record.
• Conlon is also having a career year when it comes to getting the Mount possession. The senior has 47 draw controls to rank 10th on the program's single-season chart. Conlon has 100 career draw controls to rank 10th in team history.
• Rufolo ranks third on the team in draw controls this season with 34. The senior posted the fourth-most draw controls in a single season with 52 in 2011 and the seventh most with 47 in 2010. Rufolo is second all-time with 146 draws.

a little cause for alarm... Sophomore fuels the team with 26 caused turnovers.
• Little paced the team last season with 17 caused miscues.
• Little also leads the team with 36 ground balls.
• The sophomore was named the NEC Defensive Player of the Week for the week of Apr. 9-15.

larri wary no more… Redshirt sophomore Kaitlyn Larrimore leads the team with 31 goals and four assists for 33 points this season.
• The redshirt sophomore has posted 43 markers and four assists over her last 23 games dating back to last year.
• Larrimore had nine goals and one assist for 10 points in the first 19 games of her career.
• She has four hat tricks and three four-goal performances in her career.
• Larrimore recorded four goals in a game twice this season when she found the twine four times against Robert Morris and Saint Francis (Pa.).

a seipp to see… Freshman Erin Seipp ranks third on the team with 19 goals and eight assists for 27 points.
• The freshman has 20 goals and six assists for 26 points in her last 10 games.
• Seipp has eight multi-goal performances in that span, including two hat tricks and one four-goal game. She has also dished out two assists in a match three times in that stretch.
• The freshman posted a career-high four goals against Quinnipiac on Mar. 30. She scored all four goals in the first half.

diaz on d and on o… Sophomore Lindsay Diaz has 18 goals this season after posting six goals and two assists for eight points as a freshman.
• Diaz scored a career-high four goals against Sacred Heart on Apr. 1.
• On the defensive side of the ball, Diaz leads the squad with 62 draw controls and ranks third on the team with 27 ground balls and third with 16 caused turnovers.
• The 62 draw controls are the second most in program history on the single-season chart. Diaz needs eight draws to tie Sarah Schaffner's (70, 1998) single-season record.

the roof... the rufolo is on fire...  Senior Esther Rufolo has scored a goal in 12 of the last 13 games. The senior has registered 20 of her 21 goals this season in that stretch.
• Rufolo scored a season-high five goals against LIU Brooklyn on Apr. 13.
• Last season she paced the team with 52 draw controls and ranked third in scoring with 36 goals and six assists for 41 points.
• For her career, Rufolo has posted 20 multi-goal performances. She registered a career-high six goals against Monmouth last season and also has two five-goal, five four-goal, four hat tricks and eight two-goal performances to her credit.
• She was named to the All-NEC second team in 2010 and 2012 and to the first team in 2011.

the semlinator... Senior Jen Semler, who registered 21 goals and 11 assists this season, has posted 13 goals and four assists in her last five games after registering eight goals and seven assists in her first 13 matches.
• The senior scored the game-winning goal at the buzzer of an 8-7 overtime win against Central Connecticut State on Apr. 7.
• Semler notched a season-high four goals and two assists against LIU Brooklyn on Apr. 13.
• She led the team with 38 goals and 15 assists for 53 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 seasons.
• The 2011 All-NEC first-team and 2012 second-team selection recorded 17 multi-goal performances in her career. She has posted four goals in a match four times, six hat tricks and four two-goal games in her career.

a little honored… Sophomore Gabe Little was named the Northeast Conference Defensive Player of the Week for the week of Apr. 9-15. It was the sophomore's first weekly conference honor. Little, a 5-8 defender, posted six ground balls and five caused turnovers to help the Mount to a 2-0 week. The sophomore posted three ground balls and a caused turnover in a 19-9 victory against LIU Brooklyn and then posted three ground balls and a career-high four caused miscues in an 8-6 win against Wagner.

preseason poll… The Mount St. Mary's women's lacrosse team was 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.

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 82-63 all-time in the month of April. The squad is 44-23 at home, but 38-40 away from home. The squad will play two games at home, five on the road and one on a neutral site in the month.

the price is right... Graduate student Nicole Price registered four goals and one assist before her season was ended due to an injury.
• Price 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.
• The graduate student only scored one goal against Sacred Heart, but her tally was the decisive marker to propel the Mount into the NEC Tournament.
• Price then scored four goals to help the Mount beat Robert Morris and advance to the NEC Championship Game.

a big draw in team history... Senior Esther Rufolo is making her climb on the all-time career draw control list, sitting in second place with 154 draws.
• The senior is 14 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 (fourth most) in 2011 and 47 (eighth most) in 2010.

moving in on the Top-10… Senior Esther Rufolo has 86 goals in her career to move into 10th place in team history for career goals. She can move into ninth place with five tallies.
• Senior Meaghan Conlon has the 10th most draw controls in a single season with 47 and has moved into ninth place in career draws with 100. She is two away from eighth place, four from seventh place and six from sixth place.

mctavish on the move in the net... Senior Brigid McTavish ranks second in program history in career minutes played (3864.37) with Naomi Campano Radio holding the program record (4342.50, 2002-05).
• McTavish is also second in wins (29) with Campano Radio holding that mark as well with 41.
• The senior is second in career saves with 509. 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.

from lucey to johnson… Women's lacrosse head coach B.J. Johnson is in her second season in Emmitsburg.
• The Mount is 16-21 overall and 12-6 in Northeast Conference play under Johnson.
• Mount St. Mary's has advanced to the NEC Championship Game in her first two season.

all-time mark... Mount St. Mary's is 147-150 all-time in 17 seasons, including 85-60 at home, 58-81 on the road and 4-9 at a neutral site.
• The Mount is also 69-31 in the Northeast Conference play.
• The squad also boasts a 14-0 mark in the MAAC after winning the league in 1997 and 1998.