Women's Lacrosse Home Opener Against Connecticut On Sunday, Feb. 27 Moved To 2 PM

Final	1	2	T
Connecticut (3-0, 0-0 Big East)	11	6	17
Quinnipiac (0-2, 0-0 NEC)	8	4	12

Connecticut	Quinnipiac
G: SPARKS, Lauren - 4	G: Lauren Matuszczak - 3
A: 2 Players (#17, #28 - 2)	A: 4 Players (#4, #10, #16, #21 - 1)
Sv: TESTA, Brittney - 11	Sv: Noelle Martello - 13
GB: RAINONE, Mackenzie - 3	GB: Marissa Caroleo - 3

Team Statistics	Connecticut	Quinnipiac
Shots	40	27
Ground Balls	13	8
Saves	11	13
Clears	10-10	11-19
Turnovers	17	25
Draw Controls	20	11
Free Position Shots	3-4	1-2

full stats

Sunday, February 27, 2011 - 2 p.m.
Quinnipiac University Bobcats (0-1, 0-0 NEC) vs.
University of Connecticut Huskies (2-0, 0-0 Big East)
Quinnipiac Field Hockey & Lacrosse Turf Field - Hamden, Conn.

Home Opener
The Quinnipiac women's lacrosse team (0-1, 0-0 NEC) hosts non-conference opponent Connecticut (2-0, 0-0 Big East) in its home opener on Sunday, Feb. 27 at 2 p.m.

Live Stats
Live Stats for Sunday's game can be accessed by clicking on the appropriate links on the women's lacrosse schedule at quinnipiacbobcats.com.

About Connecticut
Connecticut comes to Hamden after winning a close contest on Friday, Feb. 25 against Binghamton, 11-9. M.E. Lapham led the charge for the Huskies, scoring five goals for the second straight-game. Lauren Kahn and Kacey Pippitt each collected two goals on the afternoon as well, providing Connecticut with its second-straight win to start the 2011 season. Brittney Testa turned away four shots on the afternoon giving her nine saves on the season overall

All-Time Against The Huskies
Sunday's game will be the 12^th time the two sides face each other with Connecticut owning the all-time record with a 9-2 mark. In their last meeting on Wednesday, March 3, 2010, the Huskies came away with a 16-8 victory. Sophomore midfielder Lauren Matuszczak (East Longmeadow, Mass.) led Quinnipiac with three goals and one assist recorded on the afternoon, while sophomore midfielder Devon Gibney (Hopkinton, Mass.) contributed two goals in the loss. Sophomore goalkeeper Noelle Martello (Westbury, Conn.) made eight saves in the game for the Bobcats.

Last Time Out
Quinnipiac opened the 2011 season with a 17-11 loss to Fairfield on Friday, Feb. 26. Fairfield pressed the issue early, netting the game's first six goals en route to a 13-goal first half. Quinnipiac played a much better second half, outscoring the Stags, 8-4, and finished the game on a five-goal scoring run. Junior attacker Marissa Caroleo (North Babylon, N.Y.) scored a team-high six goals in the contest, marking the third time in her career that she has registered six or more goals in a game. Four other players scored for the Bobcats, including senior attacker Laura Iannotti (Rocky Point, N.Y.), sophomore attacker Sarah Allen (Glastonbury, Conn.), freshman attacker Michaela Tinsley (Shrewsbury, Mass.), and senior attacker Jennifer Skipper (Centerport, N.Y.). Senior goalkeeper Lexi DeStefano (Brookfield, Conn.) and junior Noelle Martello (Westbury, Conn.) made a combined six saves in net for Quinnipiac in the game.

Caroleo Cruises
Junior attacker Marissa Caroleo (North Babylon, N.Y.) scored a game-high six goals in the Bobcats' first game of the season on Friday, Feb. 25 against Fairfield. The junior also led the team with three ground balls on the afternoon. Despite playing in only nine games in 2010, Caroleo finished fourth on the team in points, 29, with 25 goals and four assists.

Iannotti Chips In
Senior attacker Laura Iannotti (Rocky Point, N.Y.) collected two goals and one assist on Friday, Feb. 25 against Fairfield, figuring in three of the final five goals of the game for Quinnipiac. The assist for Iannotti was the first of her career.

Gibney's Good
Junior midfielder Devon Gibney (Hopkinton, Mass.) collected team-highs in both assists (2) and draw controls (5) on Friday, Feb. 25 against Fairfield. In 2010, the junior finished fourth on the team in assists (10) and third on the squad in draw controls (35).

Women's Lacrosse Season Outlook

Leadership In The Cage
Quinnipiac's last line of defense rests in the hands of senior goalkeeper Lexi DeStefano (Brookfield, Conn.) and junior Noelle Martello (Westbury, N.Y.). Last season, DeStefano saw action in 14 games and made nine starts. The captain posted a 7-2 record on the year and finished the season ranked second in the NEC in both save percentage (.500) and goals-against average (8.30).

"We were very proud of our goals-against average last season, second lowest in the conference, because it was indicative of exceptional team defense," said DeStefano. "This year, our defense is anchored by several veterans that have done a great job leading and educating the freshman about our team defense concept, as we hope to continue our strong defensive tradition."

In 2010 Martello played in 11 games, making seven starts overall. The junior compiled a 10.88 goals against average and a .447 save percentage, en route to a 2-5 record on the year.

"Senior Lexi DeStefano and junior Noelle Martello return in net for us this year, and they're both very solid," said coach Caro. "They have very different styles of play and they give us some different options in the cage. As a coach, I like the idea that I can put either one of them on the field and not have a drop off in the quality of play."

Kelly's Crew
Once again, one of Quinnipiac's main strengths heading into 2011 resides on the defensive side of the ball. Senior captain Kaitlyn Kelly (North Massapequa, N.Y.) returns for her final season with the Bobcats as the anchor to one of the NEC's perennial top defensive units. Kelly, the reigning 2010 NEC Women's Lacrosse Defensive Player of the Year, started in all 17 games for the Bobcats and led the team with 41 ground balls, while the Bobcats finished third in the league overall (20.76 ground balls per game). A two-time 2010 NEC Defensive Player of the Week recipient, Kelly also led the squad with 44 draw controls and 25 caused turnovers on the year.

"The defense, along with the members of the midfield, has really come together during the fall and preseason," said Kelly. "With that unity and experience from last year, I truly believe that we can improve upon having (last season's) second lowest goals against average in the NEC."

While Quinnipiac finished in second behind Sacred Heart with a 9.47 goals against average, the Bobcats allowed the fewest overall goals in the NEC (161). Kelly will look towards fellow seniors Kelley McDonough (Mahopac, N.Y.) and Stephanie Tuorto (Kings Park, N.Y.), as well as junior Kim Davis (Darien, Conn.) and sophomore Kiera Carey (Long Beach, N.Y.) to increase their roles on the defensive front.

"Our low defenders and goalkeepers are a pretty experienced group," said head coach Danie Caro. "Seniors Kelley McDonough and Stephanie Tuorto, junior Kim Davis, and sophomore Kiera Carey all return from last year's squad and freshmen Kelsey Maroney and Ari Anderson may earn some playing time."

McDonough played in seven games last season, making three starts, while Tuorto played in 11 games, collecting 12 ground balls on the season. Davis played in 11 games and made nine starts last season, while Carey saw action in five games.

Dangerous Midfield
Quinnipiac boasts two 2010 All-NEC First Team recipients at its midfield position in senior captain Lauren Matuszczak (East Longmeadow, Mass.) and junior Devon Gibney (Hopkinton, Mass.). Matuszczak finished second on the team in 2010 with 37 draw controls, while Gibney finished a close third with 35. The duo also finished third and fourth on the team in both caused turnovers (Gibney 19, Matuszczak 16) and ground balls (Matuszczak 36, Gibney 24). Both were a threat offensively as well, finishing second and third on team in total points and combined for 68 goals and 26 assists overall during the 2010 season.

"I am very excited for this season to start," said Matuszczak. "We have a solid group of midfielders and a lot of skill on attack. We hope to improve on our league-best (12.82) goals per game statistic from last year, and if things click with our midfield and attack, I think we'll have a good chance at accomplishing this feat."

The Bobcats possess not one, but two additional offensively minded midfielders, including 2009 Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year, and 2010 Second Team All-Conference, recipient Marissa Caroleo (North Babylon, N.Y.) and 2010 All-Rookie Team recipient Chelsea Guerrera (Wantagh, N.Y.). Despite playing in only nine games last season, Caroleo finished fourth on the team with 40 points (25 goals, four assists), ranking her third in the NEC in goals per game (2.78) and eighth overall in points per game (3.22). Guerrera finished sixth on the team in overall points (25) and goals (15).

"Our returning midfield unit (Marissa Caroleo, Devon Gibney, Chelsea Guerrera, Kaitlyn Kelly, and Lauren Matuszczak) is one of the strongest in the conference," said Caro. "Every single one of them has earned NEC post-season recognition, so I expect great things from them."

Caro added:

"We have some freshmen who should earn playing time in the midfield (Phoebe Laplante, Emily Samuelman, and Kearney Sneath) this season as well, and we hope they can continue our recent history of having a deep midfield unit."

Firepower Up Front
While Quinnipiac's attacking unit lost its most dynamic scorer in Katie Latonick (Severna Park, Md.), the team looks to replace her numbers (26 goals, 44 assists) with a variety of players. Quinnipiac's attacking core returns two seniors in Laura Iannotti (Rocky Point, N.Y.) and Christine Sinnigen (Sudbury, Mass.), who combined for a total of 32 goals and seven assists. With 18 goals in 2010, Sinnigen finished second on the team amongst attackers, while her seven assists increased her overall points total to 27, fifth most on the team. Iannotti added 14 goals, while collecting 15 ground balls on the season.

"We have a solid group of veteran attackers returning this year that all logged significant minutes last spring," said Caro. "Seniors Christine Sinnigen and Laura Iannotti, and sophomores Lianne Toomey and 2010 All-Rookie Team recipient Sarah Allen all started games for us in 2010, and we expect them to contribute this season."

Senior Jennifer Skipper (Centerport, N.Y.) returns after missing all of 2010 with a knee injury, and looks to improve on her career numbers (16 goals, four assists).

"We expect Jenn Skipper to return to the lineup after missing last year with a knee injury. She's been playing well in practice and she has the potential to be a strong presence in the offensive end for us."

The Bobcats also add five freshman attackers this season, the most among all three positions on the team.

"We have a several freshman joining the attack unit (Meredith Donaldson, Kayla Fu, Allie Hoffler, Michaela Tinsley, and Melissa Warheit) and expect to see Tinsley compete for a starting position this season," said Caro.

A Week Of Rest
Following a week off from competition, Quinnipiac returns to the field on Tuesday, Mar. 8 when it hosts IVY League opponent Brown at 2:30 p.m. at Quinnipiac Field Hockey & Turf Field. The team then heads back out on the road for two games, first facing Vermont on Saturday, Mar. 13 at 12 p.m., followed by its first NEC contest of the season on Sunday, March 20 at 1 p.m. against Central Connecticut.

Quinnipiac returns home for four consecutive home games, its longest stretch of the season, beginning with Saint Francis (Pa.) on Friday, Mar. 23 at 3 p.m. The Bobcats host Robert Morris at 12 p.m. the following Sunday, Mar., 25. Quinnipiac plays Sacred Heart on Friday, Apr. 1 at 3 p.m. before it hosts non-conference opponent Denver on Sunday, Apr. 3 at 11 a.m.