Lacrosse's Best & Ladouceur Each Score Career-High Six Goals as UAlbany Rallies for A-East Win

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

Catonsville, Md. – Kayla Best and Tee Ladouceur each scored a career-high six goals as UAlbany rallied for a 17-12 victory over UMBC in America East Conference women’s lacrosse play on Wednesday, March 26 at UMBC Stadium.

UMBC (2-8, AE 1-3) built an 11-7 advantage early in the second half with three unanswered. Amanda Pappas, a freshman midfielder who had three goals and one assist, started that run, before Erika Braerman netted a free-position opportunity. Senior attack Megan Keelan then converted a feed from Ali Levendusky.

UAlbany (6-3, AE 1-1) still trailed 12-10 midway through the period, but Ladouceur and Best accounted for five of the game’s next seven goals. Ladouceur, a freshman attacker, drew her team with 9:37 remaining on a pair of unassisted goals. After Jodi Battaglia won the subsequent draw control, Christine Grueniger put the Great Danes ahead 43 seconds later with her 14th of the season.

Ladouceur, whose goal total was one off the school’s single-game freshman record, netted her sixth goal of the game for a 14-12 lead. Best, a sophomore midfielder who extended her scoring streak to 22 consecutive games, found the cage with back-to-back free-position goals one minute and 16 seconds apart to seal the outcome. Best, who also had an assist, recorded a career-best seven points.

UMBC reversed a 4-3 deficit in the opening half by scoring four consecutive times. Maggie Chizmar put her team in front with 13:20 left in the period after teammate Ashley Lancer forced a turnover. Freshman Megan Linkous and Abbey Swift, who each had two first-half goals, scored unassisted to complete the outburst. The Retrievers, who had 24 of their 35 shots before the break, took an 8-6lead to the intermission.

Battaglia finished with two goals for the Great Danes, who won for the first time in four trips to UMBC’s facility. Goalkeeper Katie Neer made eight saves. Levendusky, one of the conference’s top scorers, had two goals and one assist for UMBC, a program that has dropped six straight.

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UAlbany 17, UMBC 12

UAlbany – Scoring: Kayla Best 6-1, Tee Ladouceur 6-1, Jodi Battaglia 2-0, Jane Bush 1-1, Christine Grueniger 1-1, Rory Redmond 1-0, Brittany Scott 0-1; Goalkeeper(s): Katie Neer (60:00, 8 saves, 12 GA).

UMBC – Scoring: Amanda Pappas 3-1, Ali Levendusky 2-1, Abbey Swift 2-0, Megan Linkous 2-0, Megan Keelan 1-2, Maggie Chizmar 1-1, Erika Braerman 1-0, Kelly Burgoyne 0-1; Goalkeeper(s): Kate Quick (49:45, 4 saves, 12 GA), Susie Sweeney (10:15, 0 saves, 5 GA).