Score: #14 Johns Hopkins 14, #21 UAlbany 10
 
Location: John Fallon Field in Albany, N.Y.
 
Records: UAlbany (0-1) | Johns Hopkins (1-0)
 
Short Story: Katie Pascale scores seven points behind three goals and four assists, and Grace Cincebox records a career-high 15 saves, but women's lacrosse falls in their 2024 opener to #14 Johns Hopkins 14-10.
 
Key Stats

• Grace Cincebox recorded a career-high 15 saves
• Katie Pascale scored a hat trick with four assists
• Hailey Phalines recorded her 100th career draw
• Ava Poupard scored twice and added one assist
• Paisley Cook scored two goals

Head Coach Katie Thomson: "It was a great opening game against a really talented team in Johns Hopkins.  We're really proud with how our team came out and played hard for the full 60 minutes.  We really wanted to attack them early on and I thought we did a good job of that.  We started to slow down a little in the second quarter, so that's a great learning experience for us.  We're proud to come out and battle back and see a lot of players step up and play a bigger role."
 
How it Happened

• The University at Albany women's lacrosse program kicked off the 2024 season at home with a top-25 matchup against #14 Johns Hopkins.  The Great Danes drew the #21 preseason ranking in the national media poll following their run to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament last season.
• Friday was only the second-ever meeting between UAlbany and Johns Hopkins, with the series debut coming last season at Homewood Field.  In that game, the Blue Jays jumped out to 9-2 first-half lead, and led by as many as 11.  UAlbany rallied and outscored Hopkins 7-3 to close the game but fell 17-10.
• Abbey Hurlbrink put the Blue Jays on the board early, and assisted on Hopkins' second goal to put UAlbany in a 2-0 deficit.  Freshman Paisley Cook stepped up and scored her first career goal, woman down, for the Great Danes' first goal of the season.  Cook, four minutes later, scored her second goal, woman up, to keep UAlbany within one.
• Cook's second goal kicked off a three-goal run for the Great Danes to take a 4-3 lead with 46 seconds remaining in the first quarter.  Hopkins took the opportunity 30 seconds later to sneak one last goal in before the horn to tie the game at four after the first 15 minutes.
• Cheetham Bailey found Case Campbell 20 seconds into the second quarter to retake the lead for the Blue Jays.  Katie Pascale, the reigning America East Midfielder of the Year, recorded her first assist of the season, finding Bryar Hogg to lock the game at five.
• Tied at six after Pascale's second goal, Hopkins went on a 5-0 run lasting into the third quarter.  It wasn't until 6:42 remaining in the third when Pascale connected with Grace McCauley that UAlbany stifled the Blue Jays' run.
• Pascale found Ava Poupard to close Hopkins' lead to 11-8, but the Blue Jays rallied to close the third quarter scoring two-straight to go back up by five.  In the final quarter, UAlbany outscored Hopkins 2-1.  Poupard scored with 13:30 on the clock but Hopkins responded immediately, just 12 seconds later.  Pascale scored the final goal of the game, woman down, to complete the hat trick, with 4:11 remaining.
• Pascale finished with a game-high seven points.  In goal, sophomore keeper Grace Cincebox recorded a career-high 15 saves.

Next: UAlbany visits #2 Boston College on February 13.