HAMILTON, N.Y. (5/8/09) – The Colgate women’s lacrosse team will play in its fourth NCAA Tournament, Sunday afternoon as it travels to face second ranked Maryland in an opening round match-up. Game time is set for a noon start at the University of Maryland’s Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex in College Park, Md.
The Raiders, 14-4 overall, qualified for their second-consecutive national tournament berth by downing Navy 17-4 in the finals of the Patriot League Tournament, April 26th at Tyler’s Field. Previously, Colgate participated in the 2004, 2005 and 2008 NCAA tournaments.
After beating American in the 2008 Patriot League final, Colgate edged Marist 19-18 in the NCAA play-in game. The Raiders fell 16-7 to second-seeded Penn in the opening round in Philadelphia.
Colgate possesses the 13th-ranked scoring offense in the country, averaging 14.17 goals per game. The offense features seven players with 10 or more goals, five with 30 or more. First team all-league honorees Brie Moran (Little Silver, N.J.), Meghan Lawler (Liverpool, N.Y.), Colleen Bubnack (Syracuse, N.Y.), and Courtney Miller (Chappaqua, N.Y.) lead the balanced offensive attack. Moran (52-17-69) ranks seventh on the single-season list at Colgate in both points and goals, while Lawler (37-25-62) is tied for fourth on the single-season list for assists and could move into the top 10 with a four-point outing versus the Terps. Bubnack (34-28-62) has a chance to break two single-season records at Colgate needing two more assists and two more draw controls. The sophomore established the Colgate draw control record in 2008 and could erase the assist record which has stood since 1982. Miller (36-8-44) and Ashley Didio (Syracuse, N.Y) round out the 30-goal scorers for the Raiders. Didio (31-6-37) collected second team all-league accolades for her second time in her career.
Defensively, Colgate will bring to College Park the third best scoring defense unit in the land, which surrenders 8.17 goals per game. Maddie Kearns (Chevy Chase, Md.), the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year, headlines the defense. The senior has posted 13 goals and 19 points on the year and can move up to seventh all-time with two more draw controls. Veterans Erin Poulter (Hillsborough, N.J.), Nancy Clayton (New Canaan, Conn.), and Lizzy Nolan (Summit, N.J.) have also had a major impact on the defensive success. All started on defense for the Raiders in last year’s NCAA Tournament opener versus Penn. Colgate has held the opposition to 10 goals or less 12 times this year.
In goal, the Raiders have utilized two goalies. Senior Sara Drexler (Pottstown, Pa.) garnered all-tournament accolades after posting a pair of victories at the Patriot League Tournament. She is 9-3 overall this season and is tied for fourth in her career at Colgate with 26 victories. Christina Roa (Potomac, Md.) is 5-1 in her collegiate debut year and has posted 83 saves on the season.
Maryland, which enters the tournament with a 19-0 record, won the Atlantic Coast Conference’s automatic berth with victories over Virginia (15-7) and Duke (12-11). In their last regular-season game, the Terrapins blew by fifth-ranked Princeton 20-12 on Senior Day.
The Terps are making their 25th NCAA appearance, which leads the nation. UMD will be in search of its 10th national title, which also leads the NCAA.
Maryland ranks third nationally in scoring offense (15.95 gpg) and 17th in scoring defense (9.47 gpg). Nine players on the roster have 10 or more goals and five of those have more than 30. Caitlyn McFadden (48-29-77), Karri Ellen Johnson (65-9-74), Sarah Mollison (36-37-73), and Laura Merrifield (43-2-45) are the top four offensive threats. Brittany Draper has started 16 of 19 games in net for Maryland and has tallied 95 saves on the season.
Seven Colgate players from the Maryland/D.C./Northern Virginia area will be playing in front of friends and family Sunday afternoon. The Maryland list includes junior Alex Kuntz (Annapolis, Md.); sophomore Lizzie Kusbit (Rockville, Md.), and freshman Katie Sullivan (Cockeysville, Md.), as well as Kearns and Roa. Sophomore defensive starter Annie Culvahouse (Alexandria, Va.) as well as Missy Giusti (Ashburn, Va.) reside not too far from the Maryland campus as well.
This will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools in women’s lacrosse. Colgate has played every other team in the 16-team field. The Raiders are a combined 13-28-1 record against the rest of the field.
The winner of Colgate/Maryland will play the winner of Syracuse/Boston University in the tournament’s second round.