CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-- University at Albany's Olivia Jarem (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa) and Nikki Branchini (Guilderland, N.Y./Guilderland) have earned the women's lacrosse player and defensive player of the week, respectively, for the week ending April 18 as the Great Danes continue with one of the best seasons in the program's history. University of New Hampshire's Amber Casiano (South Windsor, Conn./South Windsor) continues her hot play to earn her second straight Rookie of the Week honor.
Jarem totaled eight goals, two assists and 10 points in three games last week in addition to five ground balls, two draw controls and one caused turnover. The senior midfielder equaled career highs in points (5) and assists (2) at UMBC in an 11-10 victory. Jarem set up the winning goal against the Retrievers with 52 seconds remaining. She scored a hat trick, with all three goals coming in the second half as the Great Danes rallied from a two-goal deficit twice. On Friday night, Jarem had a pair of first-half goals and a career-high two draw controls in a 13-5 victory over Cal. At Lehigh earlier in the week, she scored three times and picked up a career-best three ground balls in a 17-14 loss.
For the week, Branchini recorded three goals, 11 ground balls, 10 caused turnovers and eight draw controls as a defensive midfielder. She totaled six ground balls, three caused turnovers and three draw controls against UMBC, while her defensive pressure forced a UMBC turnover that led to her team taking a 10-9 lead with 4:33 to play. The junior scored a second-half goal and forced three turnovers in a 13-5 win over California on April 16, as her team avenged a five-goal loss from the previous year. Branchini also netted a pair of goals and recorded a career-high four caused turnovers in a loss at Lehigh on Monday. Through games of April 11, Branchini was in the top-10 nationally in draw controls and ground balls.
Casiano picks up her second consecutive award with a two-goal performance in UNH's only game last week. Against the Bearcats, the rookie recorded two goals, two ground balls, one caused turnover and three draw controls. She opened the game netting a tally that sparked a three-goal run in a span of 1:57 that gave the Wildcats a lead they wouldn't relinquish. Casiano's other goal was the second of four consecutive goals at the outset of the second half. After going scoreless through the first seven games of her collegiate career, Casiano has picked up the pace, find the back of the net seven times since April 3, a span of four games.
Team Notebooks:
Albany (11-2, 4-0 AE) moved into a tie for first in the America East standings by rallying for an 11-10 victory at UMBC on April 18… Freshman Rachael Burek (Rensselaer, N.Y./Columbia) scored the game-winning goal with 52 seconds remaining… The Great Danes came back from a pair of two-goal deficits in the final period… The Great Danes have equaled the program’s single-season win standard that was first established on the Division II level when the 1998 squad went 11-4… Olivia Jarem (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa) had three goals, all in the second half, to keep her team within striking distance… The senior midfielder matched career highs in assists (2) and points (5)… Jarem has accounted for 21 points (17G, 4A) over her last six starts… Christine Grueniger (Lindenhurst, N.Y./Lindenhurst) totaled four goals and one assist, all after halftime, in a 13-5 win over California on April 16… The Great Danes avenged a five-goal loss at Cal last year… Nikki Branchini (Guilderland, N.Y./Guilderland) totaled 10 caused turnovers in three games last week… Branchini leads the league in draw controls (5.1 pg), ground balls (3.3 pg) and caused turnovers (2.2 pg)… Kayla Best (Guilderland, N.Y. / Guilderland) has climbed to second on the school’s all-time scoring list with 185 points (152G, 32A)… Best was among six seniors who were honored in a post-game ceremony against Cal… Goalkeeper Ashley Ross (Lancaster, Pa./Conestoga Valley) is among the NCAA leaders in save percentage (.542) and GAA (7.35).
Binghamton women's lacrosse team (1-11, 0-4 AE) lost both games this week. First dropping an 11-23 decision to visiting No. 9 Vanderbilt, before falling to the hosting New Hampshire Wildcats 17-8 on Saturday afternoon... Junior Beth Moore led the Bearcats for the week with six goals... Binghamton has only one game this coming week, hosting Stony Brook on Saturday April 24 in a 1 p.m. game.
No. 17/20 Boston University (8-7, 4-0 AE) remained unbeaten in America East play with a 15-4 win over Stony Brook on Saturday after dropping a non-conference game to Boston College, 18-11, on Wednesday… The Terriers have now won 27 straight games against America East opponents and 20 straight games in regular-season conference play dating back to 2007… With hat tricks in both games last week, senior attack McKinley Curro (Amherst, N.H.) has now scored multiple goals in eight straight games… Sophomore attack Catie Tilton (Cherry Hills Village, Colo.) posted her first career multiple-goal game against Boston College and tallied a career-best four points in each game this week… Tilton has now scored 10 points in the last three games… In addition to matching their highest offensive output of the season against Stony Brook, the Terriers were relentless on defense, causing 20 turnovers and limiting the Seawolves to 12-for-23 on clear attempts… Senior midfielder Jenny Martin (Catonsville, Md.) and classmate Caitlin Defliese (Garden City, N.Y.) each caused four turnovers against Stony Brook and Defliese picked up a career-high nine ground balls… Sophomore attack Hannah Frey (Nyack, N.Y.) matched her career best with a game-high four goals against Stony Brook… This week, the Terriers host Vermont on Saturday in the final home game of the regular season.
In its only action of the week, UMBC (9-6, 2-3 AE) dropped a heartbreaker to Albany, 11-10, on Sunday in the final home game of the season, as the Great Danes scored the game-winner with 52 seconds left… The contest featured six ties… Sophomore midfielder Brian Phillips (Davidsonville, Md./Coronado (Calif.)) led the Retrievers with three goals, her third hat trick in as many games… Junior attack Erika Braerman (Fallston, Md./Fallston) tallied three assists to give her 21 on the season, tying the fifth-most in a single season in UMBC history… Senior goalie Kate Quick (Phoenix, Md./Maryvale Prep) made five saves… Senior defender Sarah Willis (Bel Air, Md./C. Milton Wright) picked up five ground balls and caused three turnovers… Freshman defender Jamie Fahey (Baldwin, Md./Loch Raven) won four draw controls… The Retrievers’ nine wins on the season match their entire win total from the 2009 campaign, when they went 9-8… UMBC’s 9-6 record is its best through 15 games since 2002, when it was 11-4… Five Retrievers have scored at least 20 goals this season, the most to reach that mark since 2007… Braerman leads the Retrievers with 29 goals and 50 points… UMBC is averaging 12.12 goals per game this season, its most since 2003… The Retrievers have nearly two weeks off before closing out the regular season at America East rival Binghamton on May 1.
UNH (9-4, 3-1 AE) scored a season-high 17 goals in its nine-goal victory against Binghamton… The Wildcats’ 1985 NCAA national championship team was honored during halftime; 13 of the 18 student-athletes and head coach Marisa Didio were in attendance… UNH has won five of its last six games… Shaunna Kaplan (Framingham, Mass.) recorded her 100th career goal with the second of her two goals April 17 vs. Binghamton… Six other Wildcats finished with multiple goals; JoJo Curro (Amherst, N.H./Souhegan) had a team-high three goals and also had an assist… Jenny Simpson (New Canaan, Conn./New Canaan) extended her point-scoring streak to eight games with a goal and an assist… Kate Keagins (Bay Shore, N.Y., Bay Shore) tallied a career-high three assists and extended her goal-scoring streak to six games… Kaplan has a six-game point-scoring streak… Amber Casiano (South Windsor, Conn./South Windsor) has scored a goal each of the last four games with three two-goal efforts… In her first start since March 9, Kate Gunts (Wilton, Conn./Wilton) made nine saves for the victory… UNH is unbeaten when: scoring 10+ goals (8-0); scoring the game’s first goal (7-0); leading at halftime (6-0); the opposition scores less than 10 goals (7-0)… UNH will honor its senior class prior to the April 24 game against Albany; game time at Memorial Field is 1 p.m.
Stony Brook (3-11, 1-4 AE) lost to #17/20 Boston University, 15-4… Freshman Jessica Romano (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) and junior Melissa Cook (Bay Shore, N.Y.) each scored two goals… With 82 goals, Cook moved past Jill Gridley '06 and Jenna Celano '09 for sixth place in school history… Cook is also in sixth place in SBU's record books with 117 points… Sophomore Abby Ford (Baltimore, Md./Notre Dame Prep) added two assists… The Seawolves conclude the 2010 season at Binghamton on Saturday afternoon at 1 pm.
Vermont (3-11, 1-3 AE) split a pair of non-conference games, defeating LeMoyne, 13-9, then falling to California, 17-8... Senior Alison Haigh (Northborough, Mass./Algonquin Regional) scored a career-high five goals to lead Vermont past LeMoyne... Junior Megan MacDonald (Wayland, Mass./Wayland) enters the week two points shy of the 100-point milestone... She currently ranks ninth in scoring, 10th in assists, eighth in ground balls and second in draw controls among the all-time leaders at UVM... Sophomore Samantha Stern (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill East) has surpassed her freshman point total of 31. Stern begins the week with 32 points on 26 goals and six assists to lead the Catamounts in scoring... Vermont travels to Boston University for a 1 p.m. game on Saturday (April 24) in their lone game of the week.