Towson Draws Sixth-Seed UVA in 1st Round
from press release
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Reaching the NCAA Division I
Women's Lacrosse Tournament for the third straight year, Towson
University will face sixth-seeded University of Virginia in the
first round on Sunday, May 16 at Klöckner Stadium, it has been
announced by NCAA officials.
The game will be played at either 12 noon or 1 p.m. Reserved seat
tickets are nine dollars each while general admission tickets are
$7 for adults and $5 dollars for children aged 18 years and under,
senior citizens and students of participating schools with the
presentation of a valid student ID card.
Fans may purchase tickets for Sunday's game beginning at 9 a.m. on
Monday in person at the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office in Bryant
Hall or by calling 1-800-542-8821 1-800-542-8821 . Tickets can also
be purchased online at virginiasports.com.
The Tigers, who have posted a 13-4 record this season, will be
playing in the tournament as an at-large team for the first time in
their four all-time appearances. They won the Colonial Athletic
Association championship in 2005, 2008 and 2009 to earn an
automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.
"We're really excited to be returning to the NCAA Tournament,"
Towson Coach Missy Doherty said. "It says a lot about our program
to receive an at-large bid this year and it shows that we are one
of the top teams in the country, which has been our goal all year.
We are excited to continue our season and excited to be playing a
great opponent like the Cavaliers."
The Tigers, who dropped a 9-8 decision against Hofstra in the CAA
semi-finals on Thursday, are led by senior midfielder Hillary
Fratzke (Queen Anne's County H.S./Centreville, Md.), who has scored
48 goals with eight assists. Named as the CAA Player of the Year
for the second time in three years, she leads the CAA with 68 draw
controls in 17 games, a 4.00 average.
Fratzke was held without a point in the loss against Hofstra,
snapping a streak of 64 straight games with a goal, which is the
second-longest streak in NCAA Division I history. It also marked
the first time in her career that she had failed to record a point,
snapping a streak of 70 consecutive games.
Senior attacker Jacie Kendall (Souderton Area H.S./Harleysville,
Pa.) scored four goals in the loss against Hofstra on Thursday
night, earning All-Tournament Team honors. The Tigers'
second-leading scorer with 50 points, she has scored a career-high
32 goals this season along with 18 assists.
Sophomore goalkeeper Mary Teeters (Centennial H.S./Ellicott City,
Md.) leads the CAA with a .507 save percentage and is tied for
second in the CAA with a 9.19 goals against average. A second team
All-CAA selection, Teeters had a career-high 16 saves in the
Tigers' 10-9 victory over Stanford on March 28 at Unitas
Stadium.
Currently 13-5 on the season, the Cavaliers have not played since
an 11-8 overtime loss against second-ranked Northwestern on April
30. The Cavaliers have lost two straight games after a seven-game
win streak.
Senior midfielder Kaitlin Duff (Stone Ridge H.S./Bethesda, Md.) is
the leading scorer for Coach Julie Myers and the Cavaliers,
tallying 37 goals with 20 assists. Meanwhile, senior midfielder
Brittany Kalkstein (Roland Park Country School/Baltimore, Md.) has
added 37 goals with 19 assists and also leads the Cavaliers with 90
draw controls in 18 games, a 5.00 average.
Redshirt junior goalkeeper Lauren Benner (Severn School/Arnold,
Md.) has posted an 8.58 goals against average while stopping 47.3
per cent of the shots she has faced.
"Virginia is perennially a good team and they have a lot of
experience in the tournament," Coach Doherty said. "They have some
really amazing players and it will be a challenge for us. But, like
every other game, we just have to get ready and prepare to
win."
The Cavaliers will be making their 15th straight appearance in the
NCAA Tournament and have played 47 NCAA Tournament games, the
second-most in Division I history. They have reached the NCAA
Tournament 21 times and won the NCAA championship in 1991, 1993 and
2004.
The Tigers and the Cavaliers will be meeting for the 19th time in a
series that Virginia leads by a 17-1 margin. However, it will be
the first meeting between the two teams since 1996, a 17-9 victory
at Minnegan Stadium. The Cavaliers are 9-0 all-time against Towson
in Charlottesville.
The winner of Sunday's game will face either third-seeded North
Carolina or Navy in the quarter-finals on Saturday, May 22. The
semi-finals and championship game will be held at Johnny
Unitas® Stadium on Memorial Day weekend.
