WHAT: George Mason Women's Lacrosse vs. Saint Joseph's (Senior Day)
WHEN: Friday, 4 p.m.
WHERE: George Mason Stadium, Fairfax, Va.
RECORDS: Mason (10-4, 6-0 Atlantic 10), Saint Joseph's (8-5, 4-1 Atlantic 10)
SERIES RECORD: Mason leads 9-2
LAST MEETING: Mason defeated Saint Joseph's 16-7 on April 24, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pa.
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FAIRFAX, Va. – Prior to its final home game of the regular season, the George Mason women's lacrosse team will recognize the winningest senior class in program history.
The Patriots host Saint Joseph's at 4 p.m. on Friday at George Mason Stadium on Senior Day. Mason will honor its five seniors –
Taylor Altomare,
Melissa Lobaccaro,
Brooke Lorber,
Alexa McGovern and
Jordan Sdanowich – before opening draw.
This senior group has won more games – 39 – over the last four years than any senior class in program history. Altomare transferred from Hofstra prior to the 2015 season while Lobaccaro, Lorber, McGovern and Sdanowich where freshmen during a 2014 season in which the Patriots went 7-9.
In the last three years, though, the seniors have guided Mason to three consecutive seasons of 10 wins or more, including a school-record tying 12 last year. They have also helped the Patriots qualify for the Atlantic 10 Tournament each of the last three seasons. This year, they've anchored a squad that is 10-4 and 6-0 in A-10 play – the best start in conference in program history.
"They mean a lot," George Mason's third-year head coach
Jessy Morgan said of the senior class. "They stuck through a lot… They deserve what is happening to them because they stuck it through when it was really, really hard."
Altomare, a native of Wolfsville, Md., has played in 30 games the last three years since transferring from Hofstra. The midfielder has scored 10 goals and recorded nine assists at Mason.
Lobaccaro, a midfielder from Commack, N.Y., has played in 64 games with 43 starts. She has scored 80 career goals – second-most among Mason seniors – and has 89 points. This season, she has scored a career-high 33 goals this season. She is a three-time Provost Scholar Athlete and has been named to the Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll seven times.
Lorber, a native of Bel Air, Md., has played in 51 games and made 41 starts (she missed the 2015 season due to an injury). The midfielder leads the seniors with 47 career assists and has also scored 43 goals for 90 career points. She is also a three-time Provost Scholar Athlete and has been named to the Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll seven times.
McGovern is a two-time Atlantic 10 First Team All-Conference midfielder who has played in 63 games and made 47 starts. She is the program's all-time draw controls leader with 158. The Sykesville, Md., native also ranks fourth all-time on the Mason scoring charts with 117 goals and just one of five players in the program's history to score 100 goals. She has also been named to the VaSID All-State Second Team twice.
Sdanowich, a midfielder from Bel Air, Md., has played in 59 games and made 44 starts. She has scored 63 goals over the last four years and has 67 career points.
Mason (10-4, 6-0 Atlantic 10) is aiming for its seventh straight win and can lock up one of the top two seeds, and a subsequent first-round bye, with a win over Saint Joseph's. The Hawks (8-5, 4-1) have won six of seven and three straight. Mason holds a 9-2 lead over Saint Joseph's in the all-time series and has won the last two meetings.