March 30, 2006

FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason women's lacrosse team opens up its Colonial Athletic Association schedule on Friday at 4 p.m. against the defending regular season conference champion Hofstra Pride at George Mason Stadium. The Pride enter Friday's contest ranked No. 20 in both the IWLCA and Inside Lacrosse Top 20 Polls.

George Mason has a 4-3 overall record this season, including a 3-1 mark in home games. The only blemish on the Patriots' home record was a 14-10 loss to the Loyola (Md.) Greyhounds on Wednesday. After falling behind 13-6, Mason cut the deficit to three with 6:18 remaining in the game, but were unable to pull any closer. Junior attacker Melissa Venturi scored five goals in the game to lead the Patriots' attack. Venturi leads the team with 19 goals scored on the season, a new career high, eclipsing her previous high of 15 goals during her freshman year in 2004.

Friday's game will also be the conference opener for Hofstra. The Pride won the CAA regular season title last season, recording a 6-1 record in the conference, but stumbled out of the gate at the beginning of this season, losing their first four games. Hofstra has rebounded in its last three contests, winning all three, including victories over then-No. 6 Boston University and then-No. 20 Loyola (Md.), to enter Friday's game with a 3-4 overall record. Junior attacker Kimberly Hillier leads the team in several categories, including goals (19), assists (7), points (26) and draw controls (19).

After Friday's conference opener, the Patriots will play another CAA rival, the Drexel Dragons on Sunday at 1 p.m. at George Mason Stadium. Drexel has opened up the 2006 season with eight consecutive wins against nonconference opponents to extend its nonconference winning streak to 22 games. The Dragons open up their CAA schedule with a game against No. 17 James Madison on Friday at 4 p.m. in Harrisonburg, Va.