MOUNT ST. MARY'S (1-6) at UMBC (4-2)
Friday, March 15, 2013, 7:00 p.m.
UMBC Stadium, Baltimore, Md.
MOUNT UPDATE: Following an 18-0 win over Delaware State on March 2, the Mount has suffered two losses by 16-7 scores to Villanova and George Washington. In Wednesday's game against George Washington at Waldron Family Stadium, the Mount dug itself an 8-1 hole 11 minutes into the game. The Mountaineers fought back and trailed by just three at 9-6 with 22 minutes to play. The Colonials scored six goals in a row and seven of the next eight to pull away. Hannah Gutcher and Erin Seipp both scored two goals for the Mount.
ABOUT THE RETRIEVERS: On Saturday, March 9, UMBC took down a Drexel team, 14-8, that received votes in the March 11 deBeer Media Poll. The Retrievers are 2-1 at home this season with wins over Drexel, California and a close 11-8 loss to then-No. 16 Towson. Three players have scored at least 10 goals for the Retrievers this season. Alyssa Semones has scored 14 times this season, and Shannon Harkey and Kristen Bilney have put together 10 goals apiece.
LAST TIME WE MET: The Mount scored the first two goals of the game, but could not sustain momentum in a 15-8 home loss on March 19, 2011. Esther Rufolo scored a team-high four goals, and Nicole Price and Jen Semler both scored two goals for the Mount on the day. Five players tallied two or more goals for the Retrievers, including four from Amanda Pappas.
ALL-TIME SERIES: The Retrievers hold an 11-1 advantage in the all-time series, which dates back to 1996. The in-state rivals played every season from 1996-2004, with two games being played in 2003. The Mount's win came in 2004 by a 12-10 final at home. UMBC has won the last two meetings by scores of 14-8 (2007) and 15-8 (2011). The Mount will be looking for the program's first-ever road win at UMBC.
INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADER: At the beginning of the week, Sarah Jane Leder ranked 18th nationally with a .464 save percentage, and Gabe Little's 3.2 ground balls per game was good for 17th in the nation.
CLEARS: The Mount went a perfect 8-for-8 on clears in games against Delaware State and Villanova. Against George Washington, the Mount was 15-for-20 on clear attempts.
DIAZ LEADING: Junior Lindsay Diaz has scored a goal in five of the Mount's seven games and leads the team with 10. For her career, Diaz has notched at least two goals in a game on seven occasions.
MOUNT HISTORY BOOKS: Diaz had 73 career draw controls entering the season, which placed her 13th all-time in Mount history. Through seven games in 2013, she has a team-best 14. Her 87 career draw controls place her 11th on the Mount's career list.
LARRIMORE ON TRACK: Kaitlyn Larrimore, the team's leading goal scorer in 2012, ranks third on the team with six goals this season. Larrimore has tallied at least one goal in five of the Mount's seven games. The senior has 14 multi-goal games in her career.
IN GOAL: Sarah Jane Leder and Steph Rurkowski combined for the only shutout in the NEC so far this season against Delaware State. Leder has started all seven games for the Mountaineers between the pipes. She has stopped a Northeast Conference-best 58 shots this season.
PRESEASON POLL: Mount St. Mary's has been picked to finish third, according to the Northeast Conference Women's Lacrosse Preseason Coaches Poll. Monmouth, the defending NEC Tournament champions, has been tabbed as the preseason favorite while Quinnipiac picked up the final two first-place nods to place second in the poll. It will be the last year in the league for the Hawks and Bobcats with both programs slated to move to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in 2014. The Mount finished third in the poll and was followed by Central Connecticut State, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, Bryant, Wagner, Saint Francis U and LIU Brooklyn.
NEC HONORS IN 2012: Meaghan Conlon highlighted six Mount St. Mary's women's lacrosse players honored by the Northeast Conference with an All-NEC First-Team selection last year. Jen Semler, Esther Rufolo, Lindsay Diaz and Gabe Little were named to the All-NEC second team. Freshman Erin Seipp was selected to the NEC All-Rookie team.
HEAD COACH B.J. JOHNSON: In three seasons at the helm, Johnson has put together a 12-6 NEC record and a 17-28 overall mark after leading the Mountaineers to back-to-back NEC Championship games in her first two seasons. The Mount is 8-10 at home under Johnson, 8-17 in road games and 1-1 in neutral site games.
ALL-TIME RECORD: Now in its 18th season of existence, the Mount St. Mary's women's lacrosse program is 148-157 overall, 86-61 at home, 58-86 on the road and 4-10 in neutral site games.
UP NEXT: The Mount will open conference play with a home game against Wagner on Friday, March 22, at 4:00 p.m.
