No. 19 Women’s Lacrosse Set to Battle Stony Brook for America East Championship on Sunday

 

GAME NOTES | CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL | WATCH ON ESPN3 | LIVE STATS

STONY BROOK, N.Y.-  The University at Albany women’s lacrosse team (14-2) will face Stony Brook (15-3) in a 2013 rematch on Sunday at noon in the America East championship. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3.

UAlbany punched its ticket to the title game on Friday night with a 12-8 win against Vermont. Seven different Great Danes scored en route to UAlbany’s fourth-straight league championship appearance.

BEST TWO OUT OF THREE…?

The Purple & Gold meets Stony Brook in the America East Conference Championship for the third consecutive time and second-straight season at LaValle Stadium this Sunday. The championship series is currently tied at one-all. UAlbany took the 2012 meeting 9-7 in Albany, while Stony Brook won 14-3 to take the championship last season.

MATCH-UP AT A GLANCE

Stony Brook took the regular season meeting in Albany 8-4 on April 12, and lead the all-time series 8-7. The Seawolves held the Great Danes to their lowest offensive output of the season despite a 9-5 advantage on the draw for UAlbany. The match-up comes as no surprise to America East women’s lacrosse fans, as UAlbany and Stony Brook have been nationally ranked in the polls and in several statistical categories for most of the season:

Category                                   UAlbany                                 Stony Brook
Points                                         18th (307)                                13th (318)
Scoring Offense                        4th (15.07)                               23rd (12.59)
Scoring Defense                        4th (6.73)                                 1st (5.00)
Scoring Margin                          2nd (8.33)                                3rd (7.59)
 

LUCKY NUMBER SEVEN

UAlbany showed its wide range of offensive weapons in its 12-8 win against Vermont on Friday night. Six different Great Danes scored the first six goals for UAlbany, including Nichole Eamer, Maureen Keggins, Rachel Bowles, Ariana Parker, Allie Phelan and Katherine Sweeney. Dakotah Savitcheff tossed in a pair in the second half to become UAlbany’s seventh scorer of the game.

Seven UAlbany players have scored 20 or more goals this season, led by America East Co-Offensive Player of the Year Rachel Bowles with 44. The list also includes Parker (38), Phelan (34), Savitcheff (31), Keggins (23), Sweeney (23) and Sarah Martin (20).

BATTLE IN THE CAGE

There is plenty of goalkeeping experience between UAlbany’s Anna Berman and Stony Brook’s Frankie Caridi. Berman ranks 18th among active career leaders in goalie minutes played, while Caridi ranks fifth. The pair anchor two of the top defenses in the country, ranking 4th and 1st, respectively.

PARKER’S CAREER FOR THE RECORD BOOKS

Senior midfielder Ariana Parker became UAlbany’s all-time leader in career starts on Friday night, notching her 70th. Parker ranks 15th among NCAA active career leaders with 146 goals. The senior is four goals shy of becoming the third Great Dane to score 150 goals in her career. She ranks third all-time in career points with 184, nine shy of the all-time program record. Parker has scored at least two goals in each of her last four games.

WE WANT MAUR(EEN)!

Junior attack Maureen Keggins has recorded four points or more in three of her last four games. Keggins has scored multiple goals in five of her last six games. 

SCOUTING STONY BROOK

Stony Brook was on an 11-game winning streak before it was halted in the final game of the regular season by Vermont, 8-7 in overtime. The Seawolves took down New Hampshire 13-5 to advance to the final on their home field.

Freshman Courtney Murphy scored six goals in the win to lead the Seawolves. Murphy leads Stony Brook with 54 goals, followed by fellow freshman and America East Rookie of the Year Dorrien Van Dyke with 47 goals.