BALTIMORE - The UMBC women's lacrosse team dropped its season opener, 16-7, to Hofstra Saturday afternoon at UMBC Stadium. Senior attacker Ali Levendusky (Baldwin, Md./John Carroll) led the Retrievers with three goals and an assist in the loss.

UMBC got on the board first when junior midfielder Abbey Swift (Baltimore, Md./Towson) scored 5:30 into the game. But the Pride responded with five straight goals nine of the next 11 to take a commanding 9-3 lead. Hofstra midfielder Corrine Gandolfi scored three times 10 minute stretch to lead her team. Levendusky scored her second goal of the game with 12 second remaining before halftime, but Hofstra took a 9-4 lead into the intermission.

Hofstra midfielder Lauren Whitcomb scored back-to-back goals to start the second half, including the first just 1:58 into action, but the Retrievers answered back with Levendusky's third goal and Swfit's second.

Leading 11-6 with 14:54 remaining, the Pride scored five of the final six goals of the game for the 16-7 victory. UMBC's only tally during the final 15 minutes as scored by junior midfielder Kara Dorr (Bel Air, Md./C. Milton Wright) with 3:30 remaining.

Levendusky finished with four points, while Dorr tallied three on a goal and two assists. Gandolfi led the Pride with four goals, while four Hofstra players tallied twice.

UMBC sophomore goalie Kate Quick (Phoenix, Md./Maryvale Prep) started the game in the cage for the Retrievers and made four saves while allowing 10 goals in 35:33 of play. Junior Susie Sweeney (Madison, N.J./Madison) played the final 24:27 and stopped four shots while allowing six goals. Maisie Osteen went the distance between the pipes for Hofstra and made 19 saves.

The difference in the game came in draw control margin, which Hofstra held at 19-6. In addition, the Pride made seven of nine free-position shots, while UMBC was just 1-for-10. The Retrievers out-shot Hofstra, 35-30.

* * * *

Baltimore, MD -- Senior goalie Maisie Osteen (Charlottesville, VA, Charlottesville - pictured) had a career-high 19 saves and sophomore midfielder Corrine Gandolfi (East Northport, NY/Northport) led the offense with four goals as the Hofstra Women's Lacrosse team opened the 2008 season with a 16-7 road win over Maryland-Baltimore County on Sunday.

After UMBC opened the scoring, Hofstra rattled off five straight goals from five different players to take early control of the game with a 5-1 lead. Senior attack Kelly McGrath (Baltimore, MD/Seton-Keough) and freshman attack Stephanie Rice (Skaneateles, NY/Skaneateles) started off the run with consecutive free position shots, and Gandolfi followed with her first goal of the day to make the score 3-1.

After a tally from sophomore attack Ashley Jones (Ellicott City, MD/Seton-Keough) stretched the Hofstra lead to three, sophomore midfielder K'Leigh Vanaman (Penn Yan, PA/Penn Yan) capped off the run when she converted a free position shot at the 15:20 mark.

The Retrievers stopped the bleeding temporarily when they scored seven seconds later off the draw control, but Gandolfi responded with a free position shot to make the score 6-2. After a UMBC goal, Gandolfi again answered back to start a 3-0 to make the score 9-3, and Hofstra was able to take a 9-4 win into the locker room.

Junior midfielder Lauren Whitcomb (East Rochester, NY/East Rochester) ended any UMBC comeback hopes quickly in the second half, as she scored back-to-back goals to stretch the Hofstra lead up to 11-4. The Retrievers did score the next two goals to pull within 11-6 with 17:24, but Hofstra scored four straight, including the fourth from Gandolfi to pull away.

1 2    Next  »

2008-02-17