CAA WOMEN'S LACROSSE WEEKLY REPORT - APRIL 29

CAA WOMEN'S LACROSSE WEEKLY REPORT - APRIL 29

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PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Sara Longobucco ? George Mason
Sophomore ? Goalkeeper ? Sea Cliff, N.Y./North Shore

Longobucco, a sophomore from Sea Cliff, N.Y., held off an aggressive James Madison squad down the stretch to preserve an 11-10 victory for the Patriots. The sophomore made several stops on point-blank shots to keep Mason on top. The Patriots held JMU scoreless for the final 9:12 of the contest to capture the win. Longobucco finished the game with nine saves.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK:
Ashley Holofcener ? William & Mary
Freshman ? Attack ? Reisterstown, Md./St. Paul’s School

Holofcener, a freshman from Reistertown, Md., recorded career highs in both goals and assists against Old Dominion on Thursday as the Tribe clinched home field advantage for the CAA Championship. The freshman scored four goals and added four assists and also had three draw controls. Holofcener leads the team with 17 assists on the season and is fourth in goals (22) and third in points (39).

CONFERENCE NOTES:
CHAMPIONSHIP TIME:
The CAA Championship field is set, with No. 1 seed William & Mary hosting the event at Albert-Daly Field in Williamsburg, Va. The Tribe is set to face No. 4 Delaware at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. No. 2 George Mason will take on No. 3 Towson following the first game at approximately 7:30 Friday.

NCAA RPI RATINGS RELEASED:
The third NCAA RPI report has been released and two CAA schools are in the top 20. George Mason is 14th and Towson is 19th. The league adds another pair of schools in the top 30 with Hofstra in 27th and Delaware in 30th.

TOWSON’S FRATZKE A TEWAARTON AWARD NOMINEE:
Towson’s Hillary Fratzke is one of 18 nominees for the 2008 Tewaarton Award, given to the premiere women’s lacrosse player in the country. The junior is the only CAA player nominated for the award.

TEAM NOTES:
DELAWARE (CAA 4-3, Overall 11-5):
Delaware picked up a non-conference win over Villanova on Friday night in convincing fashion, knocking off the Wildcats 20-10. Freshman Corinne Drost led the charge for the Blue Hens, scoring five goals on only seven shots and picking up four ground balls. The freshman has recorded nine goals over the last three games after being held scoreless in her first seven outings. The Hens built a 12-3 halftime lead and never looked back. Senior Casey McCrudden added four goals and sophomore Emily Schaknowski added three in the rout. Delaware’s 20 goals were its most since a 21-4 win over Villanova during the 2005 campaign. The Blue Hens return to action on Friday when they face William & Mary in the CAA Championship semifinals.

DREXEL (CAA 2-5, Overall 10-7):
Drexel’s season ended on April 20 with a 9-10 loss to James Madison. Jessica Bill led the Dragons on the season with 39 goals and 46 points. Katie Bradley added 30 goals and 14 assists for 44 points. Bradley also finished the season with 44 ground balls (2.59 per game), good for fifth in the CAA and 29 caused turnovers (1.71 per game), second in the league. Drexel will lose eight seniors from this season’s 10-7 squad.

GEORGE MASON (CAA 5-2, Overall 12-4):
George Mason picked up a win over James Madison on Saturday to secure a spot in the championship field. The Patriots had to win to make the field for the first time since 2005. CAA Player of the Week Sara Longobucco played a critical role in goal for the Patriots, recording nine saves and not allowing a goal in the final 9:12 of the contest. Freshman defender Caitlin Hoffen tallied three caused turnovers and three draw controls to pace Mason’s defense. With the win, the Patriots tied the school record with five conference victories. This is the first season in the 15 year history of the program that the Patriots reached double-digit wins. Mason returns to action on Friday at 7:30 in the second semifinal game of the CAA championship against Towson.

HOFSTRA (CAA 4-3, Overall 7-9):
Hofstra fell to Stony Brook last week on Tuesday before being eliminated from earning a spot in the CAA Championship field when William & Mary defeated Old Dominion on Thursday. Junior midfielder Lauren Whitcomb led the Pride with three goals against Stony Brook, while freshman defender Katei Hertsch grabbed five ground balls. The game was the final one in a Hofstra uniform for four seniors who rank second all-time with 44 victories in their career. The Pride failed to qualify for the CAA Championship for only the second time since joining the CAA and posted their first losing season since the 1999 campaign. Hofstra returns its top five scorers next year (77.9 percent of the teams goals this season).

JAMES MADISON (CAA 3-4, Overall 7-9):
James Madison fell to George Mason last Saturday, ending its chances of earning a spot in the CAA Championship field. The only other time the Dukes missed the championship was during the 2005 campaign. Senior Natasha Fuchs had three assists vs. George Mason, increasing her career total to 101. She is only the second player in JMU history to record over 100 assists. Senior Annie Wagner finished her career with 136 goals (eighth on the career list) and 149 points (13th on the career list). James Madison loses nine seniors to graduation, including seven starters. The Dukes finished their season at 7-9, only their fifth losing season since 1992.

OLD DOMINION (CAA 0-7, Overall 4-9):
Old Dominion dropped its final game of the season to William & Mary. The Monarchs won the first four games of the season before dropping the final nine. Old Dominion was led by Kelly Kimener, who finished the season with 19 goals and a team-high 32 points and 13 assists. Goalkeeper Sara Larson is second in the CAA, averaging 9.42 saves per game. Ashley Kellogg scored 23 goals to pace the Monarchs this season.

TOWSON (CAA 5-2, Overall 11-5):
Towson was idle last week, having already clinched a spot in the CAA Championship. The Tigers have been led all season junior Hillary Fratzke. The Tewaarton Award nominee leads the CAA with 75 points on 52 goals and 23 assists. Her 52 goals are second in the league and 23 assists are tied for first. The junior is also leading the league with 73 draw controls, 48 ground balls and 40 caused turnovers. Towson goalkeeper Mandy Corry is second in the league with 47 ground balls. The Tigers return to action on Friday against George Mason in the semifinals of the CAA Championship.

WILLIAM & MARY (CAA 5-2, Overall (9-8):
William & Mary knocked off Old Dominion last week to claim the top spot for the CAA Championship. W&M has scored 11 or more goals in its last six home games, all of them wins. CAA Rookie of the Week Ashley Holofcener recorded career highs in goals and assists with four each for a total of eight points. Three of the Tribe’s five conference wins came against ranked opponents (George Mason, Towson, James Madison). They are undefeated in conference play on Albert-Daly Field. W&M rebounded from a 2-6 start to finish 9-8 on the season. The Tribe’s nine wins in the regular season is a six-game improvement over last year’s 3-11 record. William & Mary will face Delaware in the semifinals of the CAA Championship on Friday at 5:00 p.m.