Lacrosse Visits Dartmouth for NCAA First-Round Contest
May 14, 2006 | Women's Lacrosse
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Fresh off its fifth America East tournament title, the Boston University women’s lacrosse team will make its fourth NCAA appearance in seven years when it visits seventh-seeded Dartmouth (11-5) for a first-round contest on Sunday, May 14. The Terriers (15-4) will be looking to avenge an 11-5 regular-season road loss to the Big Green that took place just over two weeks ago, as Dartmouth used its win over BU to help it earn one of eight at-large bids to the tournament. It will be the second time the two teams have met in the NCAA tournament with the first coming in 2003 when the Big Green posted a 9-7 first-round victory over the Terriers.
NCAA HISTORY: Boston University is making its fourth appearance in the NCAA tournament, having also earned spots in the 2000, 2003 and 2005 national brackets. The Terriers are 1-3 all-time in the tournament with its only victory coming in the way of a 12-6 first-round triumph over Colgate last year. This marks the first time BU has qualified for the tournament in consecutive seasons.
SERIES HISTORY: The Terriers are 1-8 all-time against the Big Green with their only win coming last year in a 10-9 decision at Nickerson Field. BU is winless in six trips to Hanover.
SCOUTING THE BIG GREEN: Dartmouth (11-5) is making its fourth straight NCAA appearance and its eighth in the past nine seasons. Junior Whitney Douthett leads a balanced scoring attack with a team-best 53 points on the strength of 27 assists. The next four top scorers are separated by just three points, led by sophomore Kristen Barry, who has recorded 40 points, including a team-high 34 goals. Senior Casey Hazel (39 points) and juniors Sarah Szefi (38) and Jen Pittman (37) round out the group. Senior defender Kristen Zimmer has forced 46 turnovers this season, good for second among Division I players, and senior netminder Devon Wills ranks first in the country with a 6.72 goals against average.
Dartmouth is 4-3 this season against teams in the tournament field, including wins against James Madison, Stanford and Princeton. The Big Green had a five-game winning streak snapped with a 6-4 home loss to Duke in its regular-season finale on May 7, dropping the squad to 5-2 in games played on the turf of Scully-Fahey this spring.
Amy Patton is in her 14th season as the head coach of the Big Green and has compiled a 160-63 record during her tenure, while claiming eight Ivy League championships.
GOALS AT A PREMIUM: Sunday’s match-up will be a battle of two of the nation’s top defenses, as Dartmouth leads the nation in scoring defense at 6.94 goals per game and BU ranks fifth at 7.84.
LAST MONTH IN HANOVER: Boston University, ranked eighth in the country at the time, had a six-game win streak snapped on April 26, dropping an 11-5 decision on the road against then No. 12 Dartmouth at Scully-Fahey Field. Senior tri-captain Lindsay Lewis paced the Terriers with a pair of goals, while sophomore goalkeeper Jenna Golden made nine saves. The Terriers fell behind 4-1 but scored the final goal of the first half to get within two heading into the break. However, Dartmouth scored the first four goals of the latter half and never looked back. Dartmouth outshot BU, 27-22, and held a 26-22 advantage in ground balls. BU claimed 10 of the game's 19 draw controls. The Big Green got a four-goal outing from sophomore Kristen Barry and junior Whitney Douthett tallied a game-high five points, including three assists. Senior netminder Devon Wills recorded nine saves.
MILLER EYES BU POINTS RECORD: Senior Mary Beth Miller used a seven-point performance in the America East semifinal victory over Stony Brook to move past former teammate Alyssa Trudel ’05 for second place on the program’s all-time points list with 239. After adding a goal in the conference title game, Miller needs just two more points to tie the school record of 242 set by Chrissy Lombard ’01.
100 GRAND: Sophomore Jenny Hauser has tallied 100 points this season, the highest scoring total of any player whose team is in the NCAA tournament. She is one of just three players in the country to reach the century mark this season. Hauser is also one of 21 nominees for the Tewaaraton Award, given annually to the nation’s top collegiate lacrosse player.
SENIOR EXPERIEnCE: The Terriers have plenty of experience on their side, as nine seniors dot the 2006 roster. Kaitlyn Cuneo and Danica Strutt have never missed a start in their careers and the duo shares the program’s games played record at 77 with classmate Mary Beth Miller. The senior class has combined to tally 438 goals, 198 assists, 711 ground balls, 486 draw controls and 328 caused turnovers during their four years at BU.
LEWIS SETS GOALS MARK: Senior midfielder Lindsay Lewis moved into sole possession of the top spot on BU’s all-time goals list a first-half hat trick in the America East semifinal against Stony Brook. She now has 187 career goals, moving past the previous school mark of 180 set by Chrissy Lombard ’01. Lewis has scored at least one goal in 70 of her last 71 games, including 36 straight. Her only scoreless game during the past three seasons came in her 2005 debut against Hofstra after missing the first two games of the year due to a preseason injury.
SECOND-HALF RALLY PROPELS TERRIERS TO AE TITLE: Just eight days after closing out the regular season with a 20-5 home victory over UNH, BU found out just how much difference a week can make when it faced the Wildcats in the America East Championship on May 7. Fortunately for the Terriers, they were able to erase a five-goal deficit by scoring nine of the game's final 11 goals in a 12-10 triumph at UMBC Stadium to earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
The title was the fifth in program history and fourth in five seasons. Playing on an injured ankle, senior Lindsay Lewis scored a game-high four goals, while sophomore Jenny Hauser led all players with five points, including her 100th of the season. Senior defender Danica Strutt was named the most outstanding player of the tournament and was joined on the All-Championship Team by Lewis, senior Kaitlyn Cuneo and sophomore Molly Collins.
HAUSER NAMED AE PLAYER OF THE YEAR, EIGHT EARN ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS: Jenny Hauser became just the third sophomore in America East history to earn Player of the Year honors and was one of four Terriers to earn first-team all-conference accolades at the league’s annual banquet on May 4 at The Commons on the UMBC campus. In all, eight BU players were honored, including an all-rookie team selection and a trio of second-team honorees.
Hauser was joined on the All-Conference First Team by seniors Mary Beth Miller, Lindsay Lewis and Danica Strutt. Senior Keely Anderson was selected to the second team along with a pair of first-time honorees, sophomores Molly Collins and Jenna Golden. Freshman Sarah Dalton was named to the conference’s All-Rookie team.
The Terriers had the most first-team honorees of any team in the conference. UMBC’s Courtney Connor was named Coach of the Year while Kaitlin Leggio of Stony Brook was honored as the Rookie of the Year.
Lewis, Miller and Strutt all earned the fourth all-conference honor of their illustrious careers. Miller was named to the first team for the third straight season, while Miller, Strutt and Hauser earned first-team honors for the second time in as many years. Anderson received second-team accolades for the second consecutive year and Collins and Golden were honored by the conference for the first time in their young careers.
SOPHOMORE SHARPSHOOTER: Sophomore Jenny Hauser, who has set the Terriers’ records for both goals (68) and points (100) in a single season, has tied the school record for points in a game three times this season The standard of nine points was set twice before, first by Polly Purcell in 2001 against Vermont and then by Kelly Trahon three years later in a contest against Stony Brook. In this year’s opener at UMass, Hauser tallied six goals and three assists to tie the mark before doing it again in a home victory over Boston College. Against the Eagles, Hauser also tied the program record for goals in a game with seven to go along with two assists. Last week in the regular-season finale against UNH, the attacker achieved the feat once more, recording four goals and a career-high five assists.
GOLDEN GOAL: Sophomore Jenna Golden has been impressive in her first year as a starter in goal for the Terriers, posting a goals against average of 8.00, which ranks seventh in the nation. Golden, who has saved 49.6 percent of the shots she has faced, was named America East Defensive Player of the Week a league-best three times this season.
GETTING IT DONE ON BOTH ENDS: Entering the NCAA tournament, the Terriers’ offense ranks seventh in the country, averaging 13.63 goals per contest. The BU defense is allowing just 7.84 goals per game, good for fifth in the nation.
AT THE BU HELM: Head coach Liza Kelly is in her fifth season at the helm of the BU program, having compiled a record of 64-32. She earned her 50th career victory in the Terriers’ season opener against UMass and her .667 winning percentage is the highest in program history. Kelly was named Inside Lacrosse Coach of the Year in 2005 after leading the Terriers to an 18-2 record and a ranking of third in the nation, the highest of any women’s team in school history.
