April 2, 2004
FAIRFAX, Va. - The Patriot women's lacrosse program begins its Colonial Athletic Association slate Friday night when the team takes on the Lady Monarchs at 7 p.m. at GMU Stadium.
George Mason enters CAA play with a 2-3 overall record and a No. 20 national ranking in the latest Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) top 20 poll. Old Dominion boasts a 3-3 overall mark entering tonight and has been ranked as high as 19th in the preseason IWLCA poll.
This evening's contest is the 16th meeting between George Mason and Old Dominion with the Lady Monarchs holding an 11-4 lead in the series. ODU has won four straight over the Patriots dating back to 2001. One of the more competitive CAA rivalries, 10 of the 15 games in the series have been decided by two goals or less. Three of the last four matches have been decided by one goal, and last year's meeting was an 8-6 ODU win in Norfolk.
Patriot Head coach Amy Umbach is one win shy of earning her 50th victory at Mason. She is currently 49-53 in her seventh season in the Circle. She earned her 50th career head coaching win last year. Junior goalkeeper Meg Dentler (Crofton, MD), the reigning CAA co-Player of the Week, has 515 career saves and is four stops shy of breaking the Patriot school record of 518 held by Jolette Solanga (1994-98). Junior attacker Kristy Manas (Harwood, MD) needs two points to become only the sixth player in Mason history to record 100 or more points in a career.
George Mason has won two of its last three games, including a 10-8 upset win at then-No. 15 Boston University. Manas leads the Patriots in goals scored (11) and points (13), while junior attacker Jeannine Ohler (Malvern, PA) has 10 goals and 12 points. Senor midfielder Lisa Hagan (Collingswood, NJ) paces the squad with seven assists and has 12 points. Defensively, sophomore Michele Brady (Fairfax, VA) and freshman Melissa Curry (Edgewater, MD) own 12 and nine caused turnovers, respectively, while junior Brandi Evans (Fort Howard, MD) has eight. Senior defender Stacy Berger (Baltimore, MD) has four goals and two assists on the year.
The Lady Monarchs split a pair of home games last week with a 12-10 loss to Temple and a 17-4 downing of Lafayette. Senior midfielder Suzanne Wosczyna registered seven goals, four assists and 11 points on the week, including a five-goal effort in the loss to Temple. The Owls rattled off three unanswered and unassisted goals in the game's final three minutes to notch the come from behind victory. ODU snapped its three-game losing streak against Lafayette behind six goals from junior Melody Shotwell. Seven different Lady Monarchs found the back of the net, including senior attacker Janine Rodriguez (Davidsonville, MD) who netted three in the win. Wosczyna led the nation in points per game (6.75) and goals per game (4.75) in the latest NCAA statistics dated Mar. 30.
