April 21, 2010

Game #16
2010 Northeast Conference Tournament Semifinals
No. 2 Quinnipiac University Bobcats (9-6, 8-1 NEC) vs.
No. 3 Monmouth University Hawks (9-8, 7-2 NEC)
Friday, April 23, 2010 - 2:30 p.m.
Campus Field- Fairfield, Conn.

Friday's Game
The Quinnipiac University women's lacrosse team begins its quest for the first Northeast Conference Tournament Championship in program history when it takes on Monmouth in the semifinals at Sacred Heart's Campus Field in Fairfield, Conn., on Friday, April 23 at 2:30 p.m. The Bobcats are seeded second in the conference's postseason tournament after an 8-1 record in league games and will take on the third seeded Hawks in the second semifinal game of the day following the conclusion of the Sacred Heart and Mount St. Mary's matchup beginning at noon.

How They Got Here
The Bobcats earned the No. 2 seed by virtue of an 8-1 NEC record this season. Quinnipiac and Sacred Heart played the final regular season game of 2010 on Saturday night in Fairfield. Both teams entered the game with identical 8-0 records and the regular season championship and the right to host the tournament on the line. The Pioneers' 9-5 victory sealed their third straight NEC Regular Season Championship and the first not be shared with the Bobcats. Monmouth earned the No. 3 seed with a 7-2 record, while Mount played their way into the postseason with a 6-3 mark.

Scouting Monmouth
The Hawks enter the 2010 NEC Tournament as the third seed with a 7-2 record in NEC games and were 9-8 overall. Both losses in conference matchups came against Quinnipiac and Sacred Heart. The Bobcats defeated Monmouth, 8-7, in Hamden on April 1 on a last-second goal. The only other conference loss came at Sacred Heart, 8-5, two days later to finish the weekend 0-for-2 in Connecticut. The team began the season 0-5 before rattling off five straight wins heading into the first game with the Bobcats. Goaltender Kirby Mundorf was named the NEC Defensive Player of the Week on Mar. 22, while Shawn Evans shared NEC Player of the Week honors with Katie Latonick (Sevrna Park, Md.) on April 12.

Multimedia
Fans can listen to the game via the WQAQ webstream, while the NEC will provide a free live video feed through NortheastConference.TV as well as live stats. Al
For the third year in row, the Bobcats are either the No. 1 or No. 2 seed entering the postseason. Quinnipiac's loss in the final game of the season allowed Sacred Heart to edge them out for the top spot in the league standings. The Bobcats are 1-5 in their last six meetings against Sacred Heart including postseason play.

Impressive Marks
Quinnipiac is 22-3 in NEC play over the course of the last three seasons. In 2008 and 2009, the Bobcats posted back-to-back seasons of 7-1 marks in NEC, only to best that figure by one win this season with the inclusion of Bryant in the league schedule, going 8-1 in conference games in 2010.

Leader of the Entire Pack
Team captain Latonick ended the season tied for the top spot in the nation in assists with 40. Tied with Colgate's Meghan Lawler, Latonick is just four assists away from tying her single-season program record for assists, set last season with 44. She is also tied with Lawler for the national lead in assists per game (2.67) and is second among active players in assists in career (106).

Hauser Sprints and Scores
After senior Kelly Bruneau (Cheshire, Conn.) caused a turnover, picked up the ground ball and made a pass, fellow senior Brittany Hauser (East Northport, N.Y.) sprinted from the Bobcats' defensive end of the field all the way to the Sacred Heart goal. The fourth-year Quinnipiac defender fired a hard shot midstride into the top left corner of the net for her first goal of the season. She also shut down the NEC's top scorer in her twin sister, Carissa Hauser, who plays for Sacred Heart, holding her to just two assists in the game with no goals.

Playoff Mark
Quinnipiac enters its seventh consecutive NEC Tournament with the game on Friday. In eight overall appearances in the league's postseason, the Bobcats are 2-7. Those two wins came in the semifinals of each of the last two seasons with both coming against Mount St. Mary's. Quinnipiac has only played Monmouth in the postseason twice, losing in the semifinals in 2004 and 2005.