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INDIANAPOLIS, IN -- The Union College women's lacrosse team (14-3) has been selected to the 2009 NCAA Division III Championships. The Dutchwomen will play Rowan University (8-8) on Wednesday, May 6 at Frank Bailey Field. Game time is 4:00 p.m. and tickets are priced at $5.00 for adults, $2.00 for students with I.D., while children age 2 and under are free. The Bailey Field Box Office will open at 3 p.m. and there are no advance sales for this event.
The winner of this game will play on May 9 at Franklin & Marshall in Lancaster, PA. Rowan lost 15-4 at Frankin & Marshall on March 10 while Union lost by one goal at Franklin & Marshall, 11-10 on March 23.
This will be Union's sixth appearance in the championships. The #6 ranked Dutchwomen reached the quarterfinals last season, losing at The College of New Jersey. Union finished first in the 2009 Liberty League regular season but lost in the title game at home to Hamilton and thus for the second straight season, received an at-large bid to the tournament. The Profs are from the New Jersey Athletic Conference and enter the tourney with an 8-8 record.
Union has won 11 of the last 12, and 14 of the last 15 games at home. The Dutchwomen, who have defeated four ranked teams, feature Liberty League Player of the Year
Kristin Joyce who has 61 goals and 20 assists for 81 points. Fellow sophomore attack
Chelsea Charette has 70 points with 44 goals and 26 assists. Union has one of the best defenses in the country (9th nationally), led by goaltender
Cat Ruggiero. She is second in NCAA goals against average with a 7.04 mark. Midfielder
Allie Cuozzo has 54 ground balls and 31 points with 29 draw controls. The Dutchwomen have reached the NCAA tournament in three of Head Coach Jessica Critchlow's four seasons. Critchlow was named the league's Coach of the Year. Union previously competed in the NCAA tourney in 1999, 2002, 2005, 2006 and 2008.
The Profs lost the NJAC title game to The College of New Jersey, 5-3 on April 30. Rowan is also making a second straight NCAA appearance, and this is the Profs' seventh appearance. Senior midfielder Kelly Angstadt has 29 goals and 45 points while senior midfielder Carly Walsh has 32 goals and 43 points. Alicia Mannino, a senior goaltender, has a 9.55 goals against average in 15 games while freshman Kerry Pehnke has a 9.60 GAA.
This is only the second meeting between the schools in women's lacrosse. On April 30, 1999, Rowan defeated Union, 18-9 in an NCAA tournament first round game.
NCAA Tournament Bracket