Tournament Web Page
SCHENECTADY, NY -- The 2009 Liberty League Women's Lacrosse Championship Tournament will be hosted by Union College Friday, May 1 and Saturday, May 2 at Frank Bailey Field. This year's four team tournament features three teams ranked in the top 14 in the nation. This is the first time since the 2005 season that the Dutchwomen will host this tournament.
Union, ranked #6 in the April 28 IWLCA Division III Poll, was a perfect 8-0 in the league and is 13-2 overall. The top seed Dutchwomen will face #4 seed Rochester (8-8, 3-5 in the league) Friday at 12 p.m. The other semifinal game will feature the defending NCAA and Liberty League champion, #8 ranked Hamilton (12-2 overall, 7-1 in league) vs. William Smith (11-3, 6-2), which is tied with Babson for a #13 ranking in the national poll. During the regular season, Union downed Rochester at home, 15-4, while Hamilton downed the Herons, 8-7 in overtime.
Union enters the tourney with an 11 game winning streak, and has won 14 straight at home since April of 2007. The Dutchwomen, who have defeated four ranked teams, feature Liberty League Player of the Year
Kristin Joyce, who has 53 goals and 18 assists for 71 points. Fellow sophomore attack
Chelsea Charette has 64 points with 39 goals and 25 assists. Union has one of the best defenses in the country (9th nationally), led by goaltender
Cat Ruggiero. She is second in NCAA goals against average with a 7.04 mark. Midfielder
Allie Cuozzo has 45 ground balls and 29 points with 24 draw controls. The Dutchwomen have reached the league's tournament in each of Jessica Critchlow's four seasons. Critchlow was named the league's Coach of the Year.
Hamilton, the defending NCAA Division III champions, has been ranked in the Top 10 in the coaches poll all year long. The Continentals have won more than 10 games for four straight seasons under 2008 National Coach of the Year Patty Kloidt, and are making their seventh consecutive appearance in the league tournament. The Continentals defeated nationally ranked SUNY Cortland in March and nationally ranked William Smith in overtime to keep their 28-game home win streak alive. First Team All-American attack Kaillie Briscoe holds program records for most goals (197), assists (128) and points (325) in a career, and most assists (41) and points (107) in a season. Briscoe is second on the team with 32 goals, and ranks second in the league with 2.21 assists per game and 4.50 points per game.
William Smith began the season with a five-game winning streak and brings an 11-3 overall record into this weekend. The Herons boast the Liberty League top scoring offense, averaging 14.5 goals per game. Junior attacker Molly Fitzgerald (40 g, 10 a) and first-year midfielder Lucy Johnson (37 g, 13 a) share the team lead with 50 points apiece. William Smith's defense is led by goalie Becky Josefiak and defender Tori Allen. Josefiak has played every minute this season and leads the conference and ranks eighth in the nation in save percentage (.541), while ranking 19th in the nation in goals against average (8.79). Allen is the Herons' leader in draw controls, ground balls and caused turnovers. Head Coach Pat Genovese is in her 36th season and boasts 362 career wins. No other coach in collegiate lacrosse (women or men) has more.
Rochester's nine-person senior class has played a vital role in the success of the program in 2009. The Yellowjackets come off a dramatic 10-9 victory at Ithaca with the gamewinner scored at 0:01. Senior forwards Lindsay Dakin (49 g, 11 a 60 pts.) and Mary Kate Hannan (48 g, 8 a, 56 pts.) provide a formidable attack. Abby Woodward (39 g, 5 a, 44 pts.) sparks the midfield, joined by juniors Amanda Case and Danielle Mondro (who has 39 draw controls). Seniors on the back line are Marlena Fisher, Erica Gelb, and Megan Jenkins. In goal, senior Leslie Dube has 170 saves, a .442 save pct. and a 13.08 GAA. The Yellowjackets earned the playoff berth with must-win home victories over RPI and Vassar. Dube sparkled in those games, then made 13 saves to earn Tuesday's win over Ithaca.
