QUEENSBURY, N.Y. – The UAlbany women’s lacrosse team will host St. Bonaventure in the Adirondack Sports Complex dome on Monday, February 13th at noon.
The game will be played indoors in the dome. Attendance is free for all in attendance, and there will not be a broadcast stream for the contest. This contest is officially a home game for UAlbany.
UAlbany is playing its second game of the year, falling to Penn State on February 4th to begin the season at 0-1. St. Bonaventure is playing its first game of the season; the Atlantic-10 representative was 3-14 overall in 2016.
In the preseason polls, UAlbany is receiving votes in the Inside Lacrosse Media poll, while St. Bonaventure is not getting votes in either.
This is the first meeting between the programs since 2008, with a planned game in 2014 being cancelled due to weather. On March 16, 2008, a late goal by Kayla Best sent UAlbany to an 11-10 victory at home. All-time, St. Bonaventure leads the series 5-2.
UAlbany is playing in Queensbury for the first time since February 25, 2015 when the Great Danes defeated Manhattan 25-7.
MARTIN NAMED INSIDE LACROSSE PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN: Senior midfielder Sarah Martin has been selected as an Inside Lacrosse Face-Off Preseason Division I Third Team All-American. UAlbany has had at least one preseason All-American each of the past three years.
The 2016 IWLCA All-Northeast Region team member finished last season with 30 goals, 28 assists, 38 ground balls, 55 draw controls and 19 caused turnovers, with the last three categories being team-highs.
UALBANY PICKED TO FINISH SECOND IN AMERICA EAST PRESEASON POLL: The UAlbany women’s lacrosse team has been predicted to finish second in the conference America East preseason coaches poll. UAlbany received a first-place vote and 31 points in the poll to place second overall.
Stony Brook, last year’s America East champion, was predicted to finish first with six first-place votes for 36 points. New Hampshire and UMBC, were third and fourth with 23 and 21 points respectively. Vermont (18), Binghamton (12) and UMass Lowell (6) filled out the rest of the poll.
CAPTAINS NAMED: Four players, Andrea Flood, Sierra McIver, Sarah Martin and Kaylee Rickert will serve as the UAlbany captains this season, all for the first time. All were starters for UAlbany last year. Flood and McIver captain the defense while Martin and Rickert lead the offense.
PLAYING THE BEST: In UAlbany’s 15-game regular season schedule, the Great Danes are set to battle three 2016 NCAA Tournament semifinalists, including national champion North Carolina plus Syracuse and Penn State, plus three other NCAA Tournament participants from last year.
RISING UP THE RECORD BOOKS: A couple of Great Danes are looking to go up in the record books this season.
Dakotah Savitcheff stands fifth in UAlbany history in goals scored with 153, two away from Kayla Best, who had 155 goals from 2007-10, and 22 away from 1st place Rachel Bowles, who scored 175 goals from 2012-16. Savitcheff also is tied for ninth all-time in points in program history with 164, five away from the mark of 169, set by Sarah Spillett from 2004-07.
Sarah Martin is eighth in the program’s Division I history in draw controls with 93. She is 10 away from tying for seventh with Christine Johnson, who had 103 from 2013-16.
On the defensive side, Sierra McIver stands with 34 caused turnovers in her career. She is five away from tying Kristen Mathias for 10th all-time with 39 from 2004-06. Martin also is threatening to join the top-10 with 34.
NEXT GOALIE UP: UAlbany is looking for a new goalkeeper this season with the graduation of two-time all-conference player Courtney Henderson. Two freshmen will look to fill this role; Georgia Schneidereith started the first game of the year in goal, saving 11 shots against Penn State. UAlbany’s other keeper in Erin Leghart, a freshman from Kellenberg Memorial.
RUN THE ROOKIES: A couple of UAlbany rookies netted their first career points in the season opener against Penn State on February 4th. Sam Tortora tied a team-high two assists, adding a goal for three points, while Jordyn Marr scored her first collegiate goal. Schneidereith and Mara Bureau started in their first college game.
SCOUTING ST. BONAVENTURE: St. Bonaventure was predicted to finish ninth in the coaches preseason poll. 13 of 14 players who scored at least one goal last year return in 2017, led by senior midfielder Taylor Fallon, who had 34 goals, 14 assists and 39 draw controls last year. Senior middie Scarlet Jaworski had 25 goals, 45 draw controls and 11 caused turnovers in 2017. Junior Kerrigan Cummins was the primary goalkeeper last year with a 35.9% save rate and 17.13 goals allowed average.
