CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-- A pair of Albany Great Danes started the season with two solid performances in their season-opening week to take home both the Player of the Week and the Rookie of the Week Awards. Senior midfielder and defender Nikki Branchini (Guilderland, N.Y./Guilderland) received the Player of the Week accolade, while freshman goalkeeper Anna Berman (Garnerville, N.Y./North Rockland) earned Rookie of the Week honors. Stony Brook University senior goalie Mickey Cahill (Bay Shore, N.Y./Bay Shore) also garnered recognition as the Defensive Player of the Week with an outstanding performance between the pipes in a win.
The reigning America East Player of the Year is back in top form after leading the Great Danes to two season-opening wins last week, including a victory on the road over #16 Penn State. For the week, Branchini averaged 3.0 points, 3.5 ground balls, 1.5 caused turnovers and 5.0 draw controls per game. In a rout over Siena, the senior tallied two goals, six draw controls, two ground balls and a caused turnover. In the 8-7 win over the Nittany Lions on Saturday, Branchini totaled a career-high four points on three goals and an assist. She also picked up five ground balls, won four draws and caused two turnovers. Branchini was among the national leaders last year in ground balls, caused turnovers and draw controls.
Cahill made a season-high 10 saves in an 11-7 win for the Seawolves over Denver last week. Seeing 17 shots, she compiled a .588 save percentage and made six of her ten saves in the second half, including two on free-position attempts. Cahill also recorded two ground balls.
Berman won two games last week in her first two games at the collegiate level. The rookie finished the week with a .609 save percentage, 4.50 goals against average and 14 saves. In the upset over nationally-ranked Penn State, Berman made seven saves and earned two ground balls. In her collegiate debut against Siena earlier in the week, she also made seven saves with a .778 save percentage and allowed just two goals. Berman is a two-time member of the U.S. Lacrosse High School All-American squad.
Team Notebooks:
Albany (2-0, 0-0 AE) won its opening two games for the first time since 2006 after defeating Capital Region opponent Siena, 18-2, and upsetting No. 16 Penn State, 8-7… Albany defeated its second national top-20 team in the program's Division I history. The Great Danes previously edged No. 13 New Hampshire, 16-15, in overtime on April 30, 2009... John Battaglino, who was promoted to head coach after serving in an associate coaching position last season, won his debut on Feb. 23, as Mel Rorie (Lansdale, Pa./North Penn) and Taylor Frink (Baldwinsville, N.Y./C.W. Baker) each tallied a career-high five goals. The Great Danes won their opener for the third time as a Division I program… All-America defensive midfielder Nikki Branchini (Guilderland, N.Y./Guilderland) totaled a career-high four points (3G, 1A) against Penn State… Rachael Burek (Rensselaer, N.Y./Columbia) scored the game-winning goal with 6:29 remaining… Jodi Battaglia (Amherst, N.Y./Amherst Central) drew her team even at seven apiece and set up Burek in the middle of the zone. Burek also netted a pair of goals against Siena, as her team has won all 14 meetings in a series that began in 1997… Anna Berman (Garnerville, N.Y. / North Rockland), a U.S. Lacrosse High School All-America goalkeeper, made seven saves in each win
Binghamton University (0-2, 0-0 AE) lost its second straight game to open the 2011 season to a Big East opponent last Friday, falling to the University of Connecticut, 11-9... The Bearcats jumped out on top of the Huskies, 3-1, but were held scoreless for over 18 minutes in the first half to go into the locker room down 6-3... Binghamton attempted to mount a comeback, cutting the deficit to one, 6-5, early in the second half...Another drought would cripple the Bearcats as UConn built a five-goal lead, which was too much for Binghamton... The Bearcats did score four of the last five goals but it wasn't enough as UConn held on for the win... Junior attack, Lis Zuern (Cicero, N.Y./Cicero-North Syracuse) scored two goals and handed out two assists to lead the Bearcats with four points... Senior midfielder Beth Moore (Hauppauge, N.Y./Hauppauge) tallied a hat trick for Binghamton with three goals... Junior Ali Castiglie (Middle Island, N.Y./Longwood) and sophomore Kimberly McGeever (Northport, N.Y./Northport) each had two goals on the day...Up next for the Bearcats are a pair of home games as Binghamton welcomes Marist College on Wednesday, Mar. 2 for its home opener at 4 p.m. then Niagara on Friday, Mar 4. at 3 p.m.
The Boston University lacrosse team (0-1, 0-0 AE) dropped its season-opening game to Massachusetts, 13-12, on Wednesday afternoon… The Terriers opened their season against the Minutewomen for the eighth straight year and dropped to 7-11 all-time against UMass… Boston U. also fell to 14-9-1 in season-opening games… Seniors Rachel Collins (Winchester, Mass./Winchester) and junior Hannah Frey (Pearl River, N.Y./Nanuet) paced Boston U. with three goals each… Junior Molly Swain (Cambridge, Mass./Beaver Country Day School) collected a pair of goals and assists for the Terriers, while senior Erica Baumgartner (1g, 4a) (Silver Spring, Md./Our Lady of Good Counsel) and sophomore Danielle Etrasco (1g, 1a) (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) also registered multi-point games… Classmate Kim Elsworth (Ballston Lake, N.Y./ Shenendehowa) made five saves in her first collegiate start… Boston U. will play two games this week… The Terriers will battle their first of four Ivy League opponents on Tuesday (March 1) when they visit Brown… Boston U. will also head to Williamsburg, Va., for a matchup with William & Mary on Saturday (March 5).
UMBC (2-1, 0-0 AE) split a pair of road games last week… The Retrievers fell to 17th-ranked Florida, 16-6, on Wednesday… Junior midfielder Alicia Krause (Ellicott City, Md./Mount Hebron/Duquesne) led UMBC with two goals… Freshman midfielder Kristen Bilney (Ellicott City, Md./Mount Hebron) tallied the first goal of her career… The Retrievers rebounded with a 13-10 win over American on Saturday… Senior midfielder Ashley Stodter (Silver Spring, Md./Good Counsel) scored a career-high five goals on just five shots… Krause recorded a career-best six points on two goals and a career-high four assists… Bilney also tallied twice… Senior goalie Natalie Rau (Forest Hill, Md./Fallston) made her first career start and recorded seven second-half saves to stave off an American comeback… Stodter has scored a goal in eight straight games dating to April 10, 2010… Krause leads the Retrievers with 13 points on eight goals and five assists… She is tied with Stodter for the team lead in goals… Sophomore defender Jamie Fahey (Baldwin, Md./Loch Raven) has picked up a team-best seven ground balls and caused a team-high five turnovers, while junior midfielder Madi Bell (Baltimore, Md./Eastern Tech/Navy) leads the Retrievers with seven draw controls… UMBC hosts cross-town rival Towson on Wednesday, then visits Duquesne on Saturday.
UNH (1-1, 0-0 AE) opened the 2011 season with two road games... The Wildcats won their season opener for the third consecutive year with an 8-5 victory vs. Holy Cross... UNH then fell, 9-5, to 14th-ranked Dartmouth... The five goals scored by Holy Cross marked the lowest output by a UNH opponent since the 'Cats limited the Crusaders to four goals almost one year earlier (Feb. 24, 2010) in a 10-4 win. It also marked the lowest goal total UNH allowed in a road game since Feb. 2009 in a 19-4 win at Holy Cross... Prior to this year's season opener, the last time UNH scored in single figures and won a game was Feb. 2010 (9-8 vs. Dartmouth). The last time UNH scored eight (or fewer) goals in victory was March 2008 (8-7 at Yale)... Kate Keagins (Bay Shore, N.Y./Bay Shore) extended her point-scoring streak to 11 games with a three-goal effort at HC and an assist at DC; she recorded a career-high seven GB at Dartmouth... Ilana Cohen (Andover, Mass./Andover) matched her career high of three goals at Dartmouth... Ally Stager (Reading, Mass./Reading Memorial) leads the team in both caused turnovers (six) and draw controls (three); she ranks second in ground balls (six)... Hayley Rausch (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park) and Jenny Simpson (New Canaan, Conn./New Canaan) scored a goal in both of last week's games... UNH committed fewer turnovers in both games... UNH has scored on three of four free-position shots; the 'Cats were 26-for-58 (27.6%) last season.
Stony Brook (2-1, 0-0 AE) defeated Denver last week to improve to 2-1 on the young season, the first time the team is over .500 since the end of the 2008 season... The Seawolves knocked off a Pioneers team that had come into the season ranked No. 20 in the Inside Lacrosse preseason poll... Stony Brook went up 5-1 in the match's first seven minutes, including a goal from Victoria Cable (Oakton, Va.) just 29 seconds into the match... Melissa Cook (Bay Shore, N.Y.) once again led the Seawolves in goals with three, including the game-winner on a free-position shot in the second half. She now has 95 career goals, fourth most in program history. She has 11 goals on the season through three games... Alyssa Cardillo (Farmingdale, N.Y.) led the team in points for the third straight game after a goal and three assists for four points... She assisted on Cable's goal in the first half, had two more assists early in the second half and then scored Stony Brook's final goal. She has led Stony Brook in points in each game this year and now has four goals and 11 assists for 15 points... Mickey Cahill (Bay Shore, N.Y.) made 10 saves on 17 shots, including a pair of free-position stops in the second half to help preserve Stony Brook's victory... The Seawolves will host Johns Hopkins Saturday.
Vermont (0-2, 0-0 AE) dropped to 0-2 on the season with a 20-14 loss at Colgate... The Raiders used a six-goal rally to open up the game and earn the victory... Megan MacDonald (Wayland, Mass./Wayland) and freshman Sydney Mas (Bedford, N.Y./St. George's School (R.I.)) each recorded a hat trick for the Catamounts... Vermont returns to action on Wednesday (March 2) when it hosts Dartmouth at 3 p.m. in UVM's home opener and then travels to Denver for a pair of games versus St. Mary's (Sun., March 6) and the Pioneers (Wed., March 9).