UMBC Knocks Off Top Seed Albany in AE Semifinals
from press release
ALBANY, N.Y.—Sophomore attack Emily Coady
(Westminster, Md./Westminster) scored four times and senior goalie
Kate Quick (Phoenix, Md./Maryvale Prep) made eight saves as the
fourth-seeded UMBC women’s lacrosse team (11-6) overcame a
5-1 deficit to knock off top-seeded and regular-season champion
Albany (13-3) by a score of 11-9 Wednesday afternoon in the
semifinals of the America East Championship.
It is UMBC’s first-ever win in an America East Championship
game and the team’s first postseason victory since winning
the Northeast Conference title in 2003. The Retrievers, who are
making their first appearance in the four-team league tournament
since 2006, will meet perennial conference power Boston University
-- a 10-6 semifinal winner over New Hampshire --
for the America East championship and an automatic qualifier to the
NCAA tournament.
Albany got off to a hot start, scoring the first four goals of the
game over the first 15:30 of action before junior midfielder Ashley
Stodter (Silver Spring, Md./Good Counsel) put the Retrievers on the
board with 11:51 remaining in the first half. The Great Danes took
a 5-1 lead two minutes later, but reigning America East Rookie of
the Week Lindsay Cox (High Bridge, N.J./Voorhees) found Coady with
19 seconds left in the period to make it 5-2 at halftime.
The momentum carried into the second stanza, as the Retrievers
scored three straight and seven of eight to open the period.
Stodter and sophomore attack Alicia Krause (Ellicott City,
Md./Mount Hebron/Duquesne) tallied back-to-back goals 53 seconds
apart; Krause’s goal followed an interception, and she drove
the length of the field for her 24th goal of the season. Junior
midfielder Amanda Pappas (Pasadena, Md./Chesapeake) then tied the
game at 5-5 with a free-position goal at the 19:02 mark.
Albany briefly regained the lead on an unassisted goal by Melanie
Sosnowski just over a minute later, but Pappas again knotted the
score with 14:42 remaining, and Coady gave UMBC its first lead of
the game with back-to-back goals.
Midfielder Olivia Jarem and attack Christine Grueniger tallied
consecutive free-position goals less than a minute apart to pull
the Great Danes to within one with four minutes to go, but Cox and
Coady each found the back of the net to give the Retrievers a
three-goal lead with 2:20 remaining.
UMBC outscored Albany, 9-4, in the second half and committed just
three turnovers in the period, and Quick made six of her eight
saves in the second stanza. Albany keeper Ashley Ross made 13
saves, including nine in the first period.
Coady led all scorers with four goals, while Stodter and Pappas
each tallied twice. Grueniger and Jarem both notched hat tricks to
lead the Great Danes, while attack Taylor Frink tallied three
assists.
UMBC outshot Albany, 30-27, and held a 22-12 advantage on ground
balls. The Great Danes won the draw control battle, 14-8.
The Retrievers will face the winner of the No. 2 Boston
University/No. 3 New Hampshire game Saturday at 1 p.m. in the
America East title game. The contest will be streamed for free at
AmericaEast.tv.
NOTE: The victory was the 11th of the season for UMBC, its most
since winning 12 games in 2002.
