Cambridge, Mass.-- UMBC's Alicia Krause (Ellicott City, Md./Mount Hebron/Duquesne) and Albany's Nikki's Branchini (Guilderland, N.Y./Guilderland) and Kathleen Lennon (Sea Cliff, N.Y./North Shore) earned America East women's lacrosse weekly awards for the period ending April 10 after leading their teams to undefeated weeks in conference play. Krause picked up Player of the Week honors. Branchini earned her third weekly award of the season with the Defensive Player of the Week, while freshman teammate Lennon received the Rookie of the Week award.
Krause paced the Retrievers' offense in a pair of close conference victories. The junior midfielder tallied nine goals and two assists for 11 points, while also collecting four ground balls, three caused turnovers and five draw controls. In a 10-8 win over Stony Brook, Krause had a hand in UMBC's first six goals, helping the Retrievers rally from an early three-goal deficit. She added three ground balls, two draw controls and two caused turnovers against the Seawolves. At Vermont on Saturday, Krause scored four times, while adding three draw controls, a ground ball and a caused turnover to aid UMBC's 14-13 victory.
Branchini, a defensive midfielder, switched back and forth between defense and offense in both of Albany's conference wins last week. Her defensive play helped hold Albany's opponents to just 5.5 goals per game, improving on the Great Danes' scoring defense which is already tops in Division I. Branchini finished with two hat tricks last week for six points total, as well as eight draw controls. On Saturday, UNH closed its deficit to 9-6, but Branchini struck the back of the net on a free-position attempt to start a three-goal run for the Great Danes. She also finished with five draw controls against the Wildcats.
Lennon had a career week with three points, four ground balls, three caused turnovers and six draw controls in two Great Dane wins. She tied career highs in draw controls (three), caused turnovers (two) and assists (one) in a 19-3 win against Vermont. Lennon notched a career-best two goals along with three draw controls in the next outing, a 16-8 victory over New Hampshire. She helped Albany break out of a rut against New Hampshire, who had won 10 of the previous 12 meetings against the Great Danes.
Team Notebooks:
#10/7 Albany (11-0, 3-0 AE) has won 10 consecutive America East Conference regular-season games following home wins against Vermont (19-3) and New Hampshire (16-8)… The Great Danes, who are ranked in the IWLCA (#10) and deBeer/Inside Lacrosse (#7) national polls, remain one of four unbeaten NCAA Division I programs... Jodi Battaglia (Amherst, N.Y./Amherst Central) had a season-high six points (4G, 2A) vs. Vermont and has scored five or more points four times as a collegian. Battaglia is 10th in goals (84) and tied for 11th in points (117) on Albany’s career lists… Amanda Pollock (Syracuse, N.Y./Liverpool) tied a career high with four goals against UVM, including a pair in the opening two minutes… Albany tied the second-largest win margin (16) against a league opponent and equaled its fifth-highest goal total (19) in conference play… Nikki Branchini (Guilderland, N.Y./Guilderland) has netted three or more goals in three consecutive starts. The All-America defensive midfielder leads a unit that is first in the nation in scoring defense (6.0 goals/game)… Rachael Burek (Rensselaer, N.Y./Columbia) had three of her four goals in the first half vs. New Hampshire... Senior attacker Taylor Frink (Baldwinsville, N.Y. / C.W. Baker) matched her career high with seven points vs. Vermont (4G, 3A) and tied a career high by handing out four assists against UNH… goalkeeper Anna Berman (Garnerville, N.Y. / North Rockland) is seventh nationally in save percentage (.511).
With the game tied at eight late in the second half, the Binghamton women's lacrosse team (3-10, 1-2 AE) could not generate the offense to make one final push and dropped its second conference game at Stony Brook, 10-9, Saturday afternoon from LaValle Stadium. The Bearcats, never behind more than two goals, gave up two of the final three goals to the Seawolves, and broke the tie with just under 10 minutes to play. Binghamton outworked Stony Brook for the 15-9 ground balls advantage and only committed 10 turnovers, while forcing 17. The Bearcats, a perfect 12-for-12 in clears, could not control the always pivotal draw circle, going 7-for-21, including only one (1-7) in the second half. Binghamton went 4-for-9 from the eight-meter. Lis Zuern finished the game with three points, two goals and one assist. Allie Castiglie netted a free position goal in the first half, giving her 100 goals in her career. Junior Lauren Lukefahr had a game-high four forced turnovers. Sophomore midfielder Katherine Hunsberger chased down three ground balls. Goalie Lauren Scott stopped six shots and snatched up three ground balls. Moore and Stony Brook's Samantha Djaha were named America East Players of the Game.
The Boston University lacrosse team fell to 6-5 overall and 2-1 in conference play with a 13-12 double overtime loss to New Hampshire on Wednesday… The overtime matchup was the Terriers’ second of the season (1-1)… Boston U. defeated George Mason, 10-9, in triple overtime on March 12… The loss also snapped Boston U.’s 13-game win streak against the Wildcats… Senior Erica Baumgartner (Silver Spring, Md./Our Lady of Good Counsel) recorded her 109th career assist in the game to break the program’s all-time mark, passing Mary Beth Miller (’06)… Junior Hannah Frey (Pearl River, N.Y./Nanuet) paced the Terriers’ with three goals against UNH… Senior Corcoran Downey (Ellicott City, Md./Centennial) registered a team high in ground balls (3) and, along with sophomore Brittany Carlin (Summit, N.J./Chatham), collected a team-high two caused turnovers… Junior Catie Tilton (Cherry Hills Village, Colo./Cherry Creek) (2a) and sophomore Danielle Etrasco (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) (2g) registered two points each and are the only Terriers who have registered at least one point in each game… Boston U. will return to action this week against two ranked opponents… The Terriers will visit No. 14/16 Boston College on Wednesday (April 13) before hosting No. 7/10 Albany on Saturday (April 16)… The Terriers are 1-2 against ranked opponents in 2011.
UMBC (9-4, 3-1 AE) won a pair of America East contests last week… The Retrievers rallied to defeat Stony Brook, 10-8, on Wednesday… Junior midfielder Alicia Krause (Ellicott City, Md./Mount Hebron/Duquesne) tallied six points on five goals and an assist… She had a hand in UMBC’s first six goals of the game… Senior midfielder Amanda Pappas (Pasadena, Md./Chesapeake) became the 17th player in UMBC history to score 100 career goals… On Saturday, the Retrievers sustained a late Vermont comeback but held on to defeat the Catamounts, 14-13, in Burlington… Krause scored four times in the first 16 minutes, including three in a row, as the Retrievers built a 7-2 lead… She finished with five points on four goals and an assist, all in the first half… Junior attack Emily Coady (Westminster, Md./Westminster) recorded four points on three goals and a helper, while senior attack Erika Braerman (Fallston, Md./Fallston) also notched a hat trick… Krause’s assist at the end of the first half was the 100th point of her career… Braerman is tied for fifth all-time at UMBC with 53 career assists… Stodter has scored a point in 18 straight games dating to April 10, 2010… Krause leads the Retrievers with 29 goals, 43 points and 20 draw controls, all career highs, and she is tied with Braerman for the team lead with 14 assists… The Retrievers step out of conference play on Wednesday, when they host cross-town rival Johns Hopkins, then host America East rival Binghamton on Sunday in their final home game of the season.
UNH (6-6, 1-2 AE) split a pair of conference games last week with a 13-12 double overtime victory against Boston University followed by a 16-8 loss at 10th-ranked Albany... The Wildcats ended a 13-game losing streak to the Terriers that dated back to a win in the 2004 America East championship game... The double OT win marked the first time this season that UNH rallied to victory after trailing at halftime... UNH did not surrender more than 12 goals in the first 11 games of the season, then Albany netted 16 vs. the 'Cats... Hayley Rausch (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park) scored four second-half goals as well as the game-winning goal with 38 seconds remaining in double overtime to propel the Wildcats past Boston U.; the five goals and six points marked career highs as she was named UNH's America East Player of the Game... JoJo Curro (Amherst, N.H./Souhegan) recorded an assist in both of last week's games to extend her assist streak to eight games. Curro tallied a team-high four draw controls at Albany; the four DC tied the highest mark by any Wildcat in 2011... Jenny Simpson (New Canaan, Conn./New Canaan) scored three goals on three shots, and also tallied one ground ball and one draw control, at Albany to earn the team's America East Player of the Game... Simpson, Allie Duclos (South Windsor, Conn./South Windsor) and Casey Doyle (Ivyland, Pa./Counsil Rock North) are the only three 'Cats who have started all 12 games... New Hampshire begins a three-game homestand April 16 against Stony Brook.
Stony Brook (4-8, 1-3 AE) picked up its first America East victory of the season with a 10-9 win over Binghamton at LaValle Stadium... The Seawolves improved to 8-1 all-time against the Bearcats... Senior Samantha Djaha (East Islip, N.Y.) led the Seawolves with four goals, including the game-winner with 5:15 left in the second half. She also had scored two goals in a span of 37 seconds in the first half... Djaha now has 20 goals for the season, her fourth consecutive 20-goal season. She has 91 goals for her career, two away from surpassing Carlee Buck (2004-07) for fifth place all-time at Stony Brook... Abby Ford (Baltimore, Md.) had a goal and two assists in the game and now has 43 assists for her career, tying her with Diana Caroleo (2005-08) for fourth place all-time at Stony Brook... Ford's fellow feeder Alyssa Cardillo (Farmingdale, N.Y.) had a goal and an assist and has a team-leading 29 points this season (10 goals, 19 assists). Her 19 assists are tied for 10th-best in Stony Brook single-season history... Goalkeeper Mickey Cahill (Bay Shore, N.Y.) stopped seven shots on net to earn her fourth victory of the season... Stony Brook plays at New Hampshire this Saturday at 1 p.m.
Vermont dipped to 7-7 overall and 1-3 in America East with an 0-2 week... The Catamounts fell, 19-3, at Albany and, 14-13, to UMBC despite a furious second half comeback attempt... Freshman Sydney Mas was held scoreless against the Great Danes, snapping her 11-game consecutive point streak. She rebounded with a team-high four goals against the Retrievers. She has recorded 44 goals and 51 points on the year with three regular season games remaining... Mas is the 11th Catamount to score 50-plus points in a single season and is four points shy of breaking the freshman scoring record for points... After rattling off five straight wins to match the program record for the longest win streak, the Catamounts have dropped three straight... On April 8, the Catamounts added two new members to their team. The squad officially adopted Molly (7) and Megan (10) Ardren of Essex, Vt. through the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation... UVM returns to action on Sunday (April 17) when it hosts Boston College at 1 p.m.