CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-- University of New Hampshire sophomore midfielder Kate Keagins (Bay Shore, N.Y./Bay Shore), University at Albany senior goalkeeper Ashley Ross (Lancaster, Pa./Conestoga Valley) and UMBC freshman midfielder Lindsay Cox (High Bridge, N.J./Voorhees) received the final weekly awards from the conference for the week ending May 2. Keagins picked up the league's Player of the Week award, Ross earned the Defensive Player of the Week accolade and Cox garnered the Rookie of the Week honor.
Keagins recorded 11 points in two games last week on six goals and five assists. She also tallied four caused turnovers, two ground balls and one controlled draw. Against 17th-ranked Boston College, Keagins notched a goal, an assist, two ground balls and three caused turnovers. In the regular-season finale against Vermont, the sophomore midfielder recorded a career-high nine points with five goals and a personal best of four assists. Early in the first half, Keagins' first goal of the game ignited a three-goal spurt in a span of 59 seconds that transformed a one-goal deficit into a two-goal lead. This is Keagins' second weekly honor of the season, having won the defensive award on April 5.
Ross made six of her eight saves in the second half of a 12-11 victory over Boston U. which clinched the regular season title for the Great Danes and gave the program its first-ever win over the Terriers in 12 meetings. She made two spectacular saves in the final two minutes to preserve the lead. She stopped Xan Weitzel's shot at point-blank range from left of the crease with 1:25 to play, then robbed McKinley Curro's game-tying attempt from left by diving to her left with 39 seconds remaining. Ross has been solid all year long, ranking among the NCAA leaders in goals against average (7.92) and save percentage (.517). This is Ross' third weekly defensive award of the season.
Cox, who also won the rookie of the week award after week one on February 15, scored a career-high four goals on five shots for an extremely efficient .800 shooting percentage in UMBC's 19-9 victory at Binghamton. The game was a must-win for the Retrievers, who clinched a berth in the America East Championship with the win. With the Retrievers trailing, 7-5, at halftime, Cox tallied four straight goals in a span of seven minutes to open the half, giving UMBC the lead for good. The rookie also controlled a draw in the game.
All three of this week's award-winners will be on the field for the 2010 America East Women's Lacrosse Championship at Albany's John Fallon Field beginning with the semifinals on Thursday, May 6. Top-seeded Albany will host UMBC in the first semifinal at 1 p.m., while second-seeded Boston U. will face-off against third-seeded New Hampshire at 3:30 p.m. The winners will meet to decide the champion, and the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship, on Saturday, May 8 at 1 p.m.
Team Notebooks:
Albany (13-2, 6-0 AE) captured its first-ever America East Conference regular-season title by holding off Boston U., 12-11, on May 1… The Great Danes will host the conference championship for the first time as the No. 1 seed… Albany defeated Boston U. for the first time in 12 meetings since the series began in 2002… The Great Danes moved up to No. 17 in this week’s deBeer/Nike Inside Lacrosse media poll, after receiving the program’s first national ranking last week… Albany has won six league games for the first time since joining the league in 2002… Christine Grueniger (Lindenhurst, N.Y./Lindenhurst) had four goals against Boston U., becoming the sixth player in school history to reach the 100-career goal mark (101)… Mel Rorie (Lansdale, Pa./North Penn) scored three times, including a free-position goal with 4:35 to play that gave her club a 12-10 advantage… Taylor Frink (Baldwinsville, N.Y./C.W. Baker) handed out three assists, her second-highest total of the spring… Frink owns the fourth-best season assists total (22) and seventh-best point total (53) in Albany annals… Olivia Jarem (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa) has scored at least two goals in eight consecutive starts and has accounted for 25 points (21G, 4A) in the span… Kayla Best (Guilderland, N.Y./Guilderland) needs seven goals to become the program’s all-time leader. Best, who has 154 goals and 33 assists, is six points from moving to the top of the all-time scoring list.
Binghamton women's lacrosse team (2-13, 1-5 AE) finished up their season at the Bearcat Sport Complex on Saturday, May 1 with a loss to conference rival UMBC... Earlier in the week, the Bearcats lost a heartbreaker to Marist, 12-11, in overtime... Junior Ali Castiglie had nine points for the week, scoring four goals and dishing out five assists.
Boston University (9-8, 5-1 AE) dropped its first America East game since 2007, falling to Albany, 12-11, clinching the regular-season title for the Great Danes… The Terriers will enter the America East Tournament as the second seed and face third-seeded New Hampshire in the semifinals on Thursday at Albany… The Terriers faced a 7-4 deficit at halftime against Albany and got within a goal on three occasions, including what ended up being the final goal of the game with 58 seconds left in regulation, but came up short in their attempt to complete an undefeated conference slate… Senior McKinley Curro (Amherst, N.H./Souhegan) paced the Terriers with four points on three goals and an assist… Junior Corcoran Downey (Ellicott City, Md./Centennial) netted her first career multiple-goal game with a pair of tallies… Freshman Danielle Etrasco (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) also scored a pair of goals… The Terriers’ loss ended a 28-game winning streak against conference opponents and 21-game winning streak in regular-season conference games… The Terriers are now 29-2 against America East opponents under head coach Liz Robertshaw… The Terriers will be facing New Hampshire in the postseason for the ninth straight season… The Terriers have won 12 straight games against the Wildcats, including a 10-4 victory in this year’s regular-season meeting on April 7 in Boston.
UMBC (10-6, 3-3 AE) clinched a berth in the America East Championship for the first time since 2006 with a 19-9 victory at Binghamton on Saturday… After falling into an early 5-0 hole, the Retrievers trailed, 7-5, at halftime before freshman midfielder Lindsay Cox (High Bridge, N.J./Voorhees) tallied four straight goals in a span of seven minutes to give UMBC the lead for good… The Retrievers outscored the Bearcats, 14-2 in the second half… Cox and junior midfielder Ashley Stodter (Silver Spring, Md./Good Counsel) each scored a career-high four goals, while junior attack Erika Braerman (Fallston, Md./Fallston) and junior midfielder Bria Phillips (Davidsonville, Md./Coronado (Calif.)) both tallied four points on three goals and an assist… Braerman now has 22 and leads UMBC with 32 goals and 54 points… Braerman has scored at least one point in all 16 games this season… Six Retrievers have scored 20 goals for the first time since 2003, while six have tallied 30 points for the first time since 2002… Senior goalie Kate Quick (Phoenix, Md./Maryvale Prep) has allowed double-digit goals just five times this season and boasts an outstanding 8.80 GAA… The Retrievers’ 10 wins are their most since 2006, and their 10-6 record through 16 games is their best since 2002… UMBC has now tallied 202 goals on the season, reaching the 200 mark for the first time since 2006.
UNH (10-6, 4-2 AE) ended the regular season with a road loss at 17th-ranked Boston College (12-6) and an 18-10 win at Vermont in the finale… The Wildcats will be making a league-record 13th consecutive appearance in the America East Championship when they play Boston U. in a May 6 semifinal game; it will be New Hampshire’s first neutral-site game of the season… UNH recorded team highs in goals (18), assists (14) and shots (42) at UVM… The Wildcats also committed a season-low 11 turnovers in that game… Shaunna Kaplan moved into sixth place on UNH’s career points leaderboard during her six-point effort at UVM; she now has 184 points on 106 goals and 78 assists; the 78 assists are #3 on that list… Kaplan has recorded an assist each of the last nine games… Kate Keagins (Bay Shore, N.Y./Bay Shore) recorded career highs in points (nine) and assists (four) at UVM; she extended her goal-scoring streak to nine games with five vs. the Catamounts… Ilana Cohen (Andover, Mass./Andover) tallied a career-high four assists against UVM to match her personal best of four points… Hayley Rausch (Severna Park, Md.) has recorded a point in all 12 games played… Allie Duclos (South Windsor, Conn./South Windsor) leads the team in both ground balls and draw controls… The Wildcats have advanced to the title game seven of the last eight years and won the championship in 2004.
Stony Brook (3-12, 1-5 AE) closed out the 2010 season with a 12-10 loss to Binghamton on April 24… Junior Samantha Djaha (East Islip, N.Y.) led the Seawolves with three goals… Freshman Justyne Passarelli (Glen Head, N.Y./North Shore) started all 15 games as a freshman… Seven players finished with double-digit goals led by junior Melissa Cook (Bay Shore, N.Y./Bay Shore), who had 29… Cook is sixth all-time in school history in goals (84) and points (117).
Vermont wrapped up the 2010 campaign with an 18-10 loss to New Hampshire. UVM finishes the year with a 4-11 overall mark and went 1-5 in league play... Senior Kaitlyn Fuller (Jordan, N.Y.) scored a hat trick and classmate Alison Haigh (Northborough, Mass.) added three points to lead Vermont... Junior Megan MacDonald (Wayland, Mass.) finished the season leading the team in scoring with 36 points on 23 goals and 13 assists. She raises her career total to 105 points, good for ninth all-time at UVM... Senior Sara Buxton (Northfield, Ill.) closed out her career with 113 points, ranking eighth all-time among the Catamounts and was four goals shy of the 100-goal milestone. She finished with 96 to rank sixth all-time at Vermont.