STONY BROOK, N.Y. - The 2015 America East Women's Lacrosse Championship, featuring two nationally ranked teams, kicks off with semifinal action on Friday at Stony Brook's LaValle Stadium.
No. 1 Stony Brook and No. 4 UMBC play in the first semfinal at 5 p.m. while No. 2 Albany faces No. 3 Vermont in the second semi at 7:30 p.m. The two winners will face off for the league title on Sunday, May 3 at noon with the winner earning a trip the NCAA Tournament.
Free, live video of the semifinals will air for free on AmericaEast.TV Friday
Tickets for the two semifinal contests can be purchased in advance through the Stony ticket office or at the gate tonight. Prices are $8 for adults, $5 for youth and $2 for students of America East institutions with proper ID.
Fans who can not attend the games, visit Championship Central for live coverage links, including free live video streaming and live stats. Fans can also join the conversation on Twitter all weekend long by using the hashtag #AEChamps.
Semifinal Primer
- Stony Brook is the first team to earn the No. 1 seed and host the America East Tournament in three-straight seasons.
- This is the first time Stony Brook, Albany, Vermont and UMBC have made the tournament field together.
- Stony Brook enters the tournament 5th in the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll and 6th in the IWLCA Coaches’ Poll. Albany is 19th in the IWLCA and 18th in Inside Lacrosse
- The only teams in this year’s tournament field to win championships are Stony Brook and Albany as the two programs have combined to win the last four titles. Albany won in 2011 and 2012 while Stony Brook won in 2013 and 2014. Those are the only titles for the two programs.
- The No. 1 seed is 28-6 all-time in tournament play including 15-4 in the semifinals. All four of the semifinal losses have come since 2006 (2006, 2007, 2010, 2012).
- The No. 2 seed is 18-15 all-time in the tournament including 13-6 in the semifinals. The No. 2 seed has failed to reach the final just six times (2011, 2009, 2008, 2001, 1996).
- The No. 3 seed is 6-19 all-time in the tournament including 6-13 in the semifinals. The No. 3 seed has advanced to the title game six times (2011, 2009, 2008, 2001, 1996) but has yet to win one.
- The No. 4 seed is 5-18 all-time in tournament play including 4-15 in the semifinals. All four wins have come since 2006. Only one team has won the title as a No. 4 seed and that came in 2012 when No. 4 Albany upset top-seeded Boston U. and went on to beat Stony Brook in the final.