March 24, 2011

Friday, March 25, 2011 - 3 p.m.
Quinnipiac University Bobcats (2-3, 1-0 NEC) vs.
Saint Francis (Pa.) University Red Flash (3-4, 0-0 NEC)

Sunday, March 27, 2011 - 12 p.m.
Quinnipiac University Bobcats (2-3, 0-0 NEC) vs.
Robert Morris University Colonials (1-6, 0-0 NEC)

Quinnipiac Field Hockey & Turf Field

NEC Home Opening Weekend
The Quinnipiac women's lacrosse team (2-3, 1-0 NEC) hosts its first two Northeast Conference home games of the season on Friday, Mar. 25 against Saint Francis (Pa.) (3-4, 0-0 NEC) and Sunday, Mar. 27 against Robert Morris (1-6, 0-0 NEC). Friday's game against the Red Flash will begin at 3 p.m., while Sunday's game against the Colonials is slated for a 12 p.m. start.

Live Stats

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

About Saint Francis (Pa.)
Saint Francis (Pa.) is coming off its third straight win of the season, defeating Niagara, 10-8, on Tuesday, Mar. 15. The Red Flash were led by Kara Ledgerwood and Danielle Conwell, who each netted three goals in the contest. Kate Simmons led the squad with four assists on the afternoon, while Catherine Helming contributed three points (two goals, one assist) in the game. After heading into halftime with a 5-3 lead, Saint Francis pushed its lead to 10-4 with 12:18 remaining in the contest. Despite not scoring a goal for the remainder of the game, the Red Flash held on to defeat the Purple Eagles. Danielle Pokusa made seven saves in net for Saint Francis. Conwell leads Saint Francis (Pa.) with 21 points (17 goals, four assists) on the season, while Simmons (14 goals, 10 assists) and Helming (13 goals, two assists) respectively rank second and third on the team in total points. Sheri Fort leads all field players with 16 ground balls, while Simmons heads the team with 24 draw controls. In net, Pokusa holds a 9,41 goals against average and a .526 save percentage on the season.

All-Time Against The Red Flash
Friday's game will be the 10^th time the two sides face each other. Quinnipiac owns a perfect 9-0 all-time record against Saint Francis (Pa.), marking the second-most wins the program has against any opponent. In their last meeting on Sunday, Apr. 11, 2010, Quinnipiac defeated Saint Francis (Pa.), 19-6. Senior Katie Latonick (Severna Park, Md.) led the way with eight points (four goals, four assists), while junior Lauren Matuszczak (East Longmeadow, Mass.) added three goals and two assists for the Bobcats. Junior Christine Sinnigen (Sudbury, Mass.) also collected five points in the outing, netting four goals and one assist. After Saint Francis (Pa.) scored with 18:26 remaining in the first half to make the score 6-2 in favor of Quinnipiac, the Bobcats proceeded to score six straight goals to increase their lead, 12-2 with 4:49 remaining in the half. Due to its large lead, Quinnipiac played a more relaxed game in the second half, outscoring Saint Francis (Pa.), 6-3. Junior goalie Lexi DeStefano (Brookfield, Conn.) made nine saves in net for Quinnipiac.

About Robert Morris
Robert Morris is coming off an 11-10 loss to Canisius on Tuesday, Mar. 22. Despite holding a 6-4 lead heading into halftime, the Colonials were outscored 8-4 in the second half to extend its season-high losing streak to six games. Ashley Trombetta netted three goals for Robert Morris, while Colleen O'Donnell, Rachel Engel and Mackenzie Lawler each scored two goals on the afternoon. Kaitlin Pentz turned away five shots in net for Robert Morris. On the season overall, Cara Hernandez leads the team with 15 points (12 goals, three assists), while Trombetta (nine goals, four assists) and O'Donnell (seven goals, five assists) respectively rank second and third on the team in total points. O'Donnell leads the squad with 22 ground balls, while Trobetta's 20 draw controls are a team-best. Pentz holds a 12.65 goals against average and a .362 save percentage on the season.

All-Time Against The Colonials
Sunday's game will be the seventh time the two sides face each other, as Quinnipiac owns a perfect 6-0 all-time record against the Colonials. In their last meeting on Friday, Apr. 9, 2010, Quinnipiac defeated Robert Morris, 12-8. Sophomore Devon Gibney (Hopkinton, Mass.) led the charge for the Bobcats, scoring three of Quinnipiac's first five goals of the afternoon. She finished with four goals and one assist, as well as sharing a team-high total of three ground balls with fellow senior Brittany Hauser (East Northport, N.Y.). Freshman Chelsea Guerrera (Wantagh, N.Y.) added two goals and two assists in the contest, while also matching junior Kaitlyn Kelly's team-high totals of three caused turnovers. Junior Lexi DeStefano (Brookfield, Conn.) made six saves in net for her sixth victory of the season.

Last Time Out
Quinnipiac earned its second straight victory of the season on Sunday, Mar. 20 against NEC opponent Central Connecticut, 14-8. After the score was tied 4-4 heading into the locker rooms at halftime, the Bobcats pulled away for its first conference victory of the season by outscoring the Blue Devils, 10-4, in the second half. Senior Lauren Matuszczak (East Longmeadow, Mass.) began a Bobcats scoring attack in the second half, which saw Quinnipiac score nine of the first 10 goals of the half (including eight straight). Matuszczak finished with six points (four goals, two assists), two ground balls, and two draw controls, while senior Christine Sinnigen (Sudbury, Mass.) added two goals and two assists in the game. Marissa Caroleo (North Babylon, N.Y.) collected a team-high five ground balls on the afternoon, while junior Devon Gibney (Hopkinton, Mass.) grabbed a game-high five draw controls. Kim Davis (Darien, Conn.) led the way with three caused turnovers. Junior goalie Noelle Martello (Westbury, Conn.) and senior goalie Lexi DeStefano (Brookfield, Conn.) combined to make five saves, while Central Connecticut's goalie Erin DeLancey made seven saves.

Three Career Highs
Sunday's game against Central Connecticut saw three players earn career-highs in three separate categories. Matuszczak eclipsed her career-high in points (six), Caroleo in ground balls (five), and Davis in caused turnovers (three). All three numbers were also team-highs on during Sunday's game.

Now That's A Streak
Quinnipiac's 8-0 run to begin the second half was the greatest scoring streak the team has had all season. Stretching back to the first half, Quinnipiac enjoyed a 12-1 scoring run, erasing a 2-4 deficit and turning it into a 13-5 lead.

Kelly's Connects
Senior Kaitlyn Kelly (North Massapequa, N.Y.) netted her first goal of the season on Sunday against Central Connecticut. She also collected two ground balls for the Bobcats, giving her six on the season.

Ground Ball Machine
Caroleo collected a team-high five ground balls on Sunday against Central Connecticut. She ranks third in ground balls per game among all NEC players, and first overall on the team with 16 ground balls.

A Look Ahead
Quinnipiac returns to the field next weekend when its hosts NEC opponent Sacred Heart on Friday, Apr. 1 at 3 p.m. The Bobcats then host non-conference opponent Denver the following Sunday, Apr. 3 at 11 a.m.