Women's Lacrosse Falls Out Of Second Place In Conference Standings With Loss

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

Albany, N.Y. – Junior goalkeeper Kate Quick made seven of her nine saves in the second half, as UMBC held off UAlbany for a 9-6 victory in America East Conference play on Saturday, April 11 at John Fallon Field. The loss spoiled the final home regular-season game for the Great Danes' senior class.

UMBC (8-7, AE 3-2) led 5-4 midway through the final period, but then exploded for three goals in a four-minute stretch. Abbey Swift circled to the left side from behind the cage and fired a shot into the upper corner for her 16th of the season. Amanda Pappas, who had two goals and one assist, moved in from the top and hit the upper left corner for a three-goal advantage. Ashley Stodter completed the run when she finished off Kara Dorr’s pass in transition. The fastbreak started when the Great Danes turned the ball over in a free-position situation.

UAlbany (7-7, AE 3-2) tried to rally with a pair of goals 36 seconds apart. Mel Rorie scored her second of the game when she found the net while driving from the right. Jodi Battaglia then one-timed Julie Bush’s feed from right of the crease that cut the deficit to 8-6. The Great Danes had a chance to get even closer, but Quick stopped Battaglia’s high shot from in front of the crease at point-blank range with 3:45 remaining. Dorr, who totaled two goals, including her 35th of the year, sealed the outcome in the final minutes.

“We had trouble settling the ball (on attack) and swinging it around,” said UAlbany midfielder Kayla Best, whose team won 13 of 17 draws, but countered that figure by committing 25 turnovers. “We couldn’t run our plays or catch passes. It was about the fundamentals.”

Both teams were sluggish in the opening half. The Retrievers broke a 2-2 deadlock with two goals in the late stages of the period. Pappas, a sophomore midfielder, spun to her left shoulder and went low to the left side in breaking the tie. Quick’s save led to a successful clear and Ashley Lancer’s pass ahead to Dorr, who completed the fastbreak with 11 seconds left before intermission.

Amanda Gable gave UMBC a 5-2 lead with 30 seconds elapsed in the second half. But the Great Danes later closed the gap to a single digit. Best, who had two goals and one assist and extended her scoring streak to 44 consecutive games, sent a shot through the goalkeeper’s legs on a free-position attempt. Best then carried the ball through the middle on a clear and found Christine Grueniger, who completed the play by scoring from the right side.

Stotder scored twice for the Retrievers, who took a step toward making their first conference postseason tournament appearance since 2006. UAlbany goalkeeper Katie Neer made six saves and moved into a tie for fourth on the program’s career list in that category.