Terriers Look to Defend America East Lacrosse Title vs. Albany
May 6, 2007 | Women's Lacrosse
STONY BROOK, N.Y. - The 20th-ranked Boston University women's lacrosse team (12-5) will look to claim the America East Championship for the third straight season on Sunday, May 6, when it faces Albany (8-8) in the conference title game at Stony Brook's LaValle Stadium. Game time is set for 1 p.m. The Terriers are riding an eight-game win streak following a 16-4 victory over New Hampshire in the league semifinals.
The Terriers are making their record ninth straight appearance in the title game and will look to become just the second school in America East history to claim three conference titles (Delaware, 1997-99). The fourth-seeded Great Danes advanced to the league finals with a 10-7 upset of top-seeded Stony Brook on Friday.
BU is 7-0 all-time against Albany, including a 19-8 victory at Nickerson Field last month. In that game, junior Molly Collins scored five goals on five shots - a feat she duplicated in Friday's semifinal triumph over UNH. The Terriers' goalkeeping corps made a season-high 16 saves in the win, as junior Jenna Golden and redshirt freshman Rachel Klein each played one half and made eight saves apiece.
The Great Danes are paced by senior Kate Fontana, who leads the squad in nearly every category. The midfielder has tallied 43 points, including 35 goals, to go along with 43 ground balls, 41 draw controls and 39 caused turnovers. Freshman Kayla Best has turned in a great rookie campaign with 38 points on 29 goals and a team-best nine assists. Senior Sarah Spillett and freshman Christine Grueniger, who combined for seven goals in the win over Stony Brook, each have 30 points on the year.
In goal, the Great Danes rely on senior Jen Daly, who boasts a .463 save percentage to go along with a goals against average of 10.62.
Fontana, Spillett and senior defender Katelyn Primomo were selected to the All-Conference First Team, while Best and Daly were second-team selections.
During its eight-game win streak, BU has outscored its opponents 125-55, and the defense has not allowed a team to score 10 goals or more during the stretch.
On Friday, sophomore Sarah Dalton became the first player in school history to record 50 goals and 50 draw controls in a season. Her 51 draw controls are a single-season record and she leads the team in points this season 57. Senior Angie Martin has 54 points on the year, including a team-high 21 assists.
The winner of Sunday's contest will receive the league's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The tournament bracket will be revealed live on ncaasports.com on Monday, April 7, at 8 p.m.
