MOUNT ST. MARY'S (0-1) vs. GEORGE MASON (1-1)
Thursday, Feb. 26, 2015 | 2 p.m.
Waldron Family Stadium | Emmitsburg, Md.
VIDEO: NECFrontRow.com
GAME NOTES | LIVE STATS | @MountAthletics
MOUNT UPDATE: The Mount St. Mary's women's lacrosse team picked up a home game versus George Mason at Waldron Family Stadium on Thursday, Feb. 26 at 2 p.m. Originally scheduled to be played in Fairfax, Va. on Wednesday, Feb. 25, the venue shifted to the Mount due to unplayable field conditions at George Mason. In game two of the 2015 season, the Mount is looking for its first win under first-year Head Coach Lauren Schwarzmann.
LAST TIME OUT: Sophomore Sammie Knapp scored a pair of goals in the Mount's season-opening 5-4 road loss at UMBC on Feb. 21. Sam Sparr and Erin Seipp tallied the other two goals for the Mount, while goalkeeper Steph Rurkowski made five saves. In a game that consisted of an 18-minute second half due to weather concerns, the Mount trailed the Retrievers by a 5-2 margin with 10 minutes remaining. The Mountaineers scored the game's final two goals, but could not find the equalizer to complete the comeback.
ABOUT GEORGE MASON: The Patriots enter Thursday's game with a 1-1 record, opening with a 17-6 loss at Winthrop before a 9-5 victory over Campbell. Melissa Lobaccaro has accounted for a third of George Mason's goals with five in the early going. Defensively, goalkeeper Taylor Carpentier has made 15 saves and carries an 11.00 goals against average for first-year Head Coach Jessy Morgan's squad.
ALL-TIME VS. GEORGE MASON: Last year's March 8 game between the two sides was the first ever meeting, with the Patriots running away with a 13-5 victory. Steph Rurkowski made 10 saves for the Mount, and then-senior Hannah Gutcher notched her second career hat trick for the Mountaineers. George Mason held a 24-14 edge on ground balls on the afternoon.
AT WALDRON FAMILY STADIUM: Mount St. Mary's has posted a 32-30 all-time record at home at Waldron Family Stadium since the venue opened prior to the 2007 season. The Mount will play 10 games at Waldron Family Stadium this season, which is the most at the stadium for the women's lacrosse program.
NEC PRESEASON POLL: The Mount was selected fifth in the NEC Preseason Coaches Poll. Bryant, Wagner and Robert Morris finished 1-2-3 in the poll, followed by Central Connecticut and the Mount. Sacred Heart, LIU Brooklyn and Saint Francis U rounded out the poll.
NEW ERA: Lauren Schwarzmann was named the ninth head coach in Mount St. Mary's women's lacrosse history on July 8, 2014. The Sykesville, Md. native and former U.S. National Team player returned to her Maryland roots after three years on the West Coast as an assistant at San Diego State for one season and Stanford for two. Schwarzmann, who played collegiately at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, helped lead the Blue Jays to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances as a midfielder before joining the coaching ranks as an assistant at Cincinnati. Schwarzmann takes over for B.J. Johnson, who resigned following the 2014 season after guiding the Mountaineers to two Northeast Conference runner-up finishes in four years.
UP NEXT: The Mount hosts St. Bonaventure on Wednesday, March 4, at noon. The game was originally scheduled for Feb. 18, but was pushed back due to inclement weather.
