LANCASTER, PA -- The #6 Union College women's lacrosse team, 15-3 after a first round victory over Rowan, will compete in the 2009 NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse Regionals at Franklin & Marshall. Union will face the host #2 Diplomats (17-1) Saturday, May 9 at 11:30 a.m.
The game will be broadcast live on WRUC-FM 89.7 and on the web at www.TEAMLINE.cc.
Live statistics and live video will be available at the tournament home web page.
Franklin & Marshall will host the regional round for the third straight year. The winners of the two Wednesday first round games advanced to this weekend. Lancaster. St. John Fisher (11-6) defeated Wooster, 17-12, and will face Tufts (15-2), which had downed Drew, 22-15. The St. John Fisher/Tufts game will start at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
The winners of Saturday's games will meet at 1 p.m. Sunday, May 10 for the regional final and the right to advance to the national semifinals May 16 in Salem, VA. The national title game is May 17.
The Diplomats faced both Union during the regular season and escaped a tightly contested 11-10 meeting at home with the Dutchwomen on March 23. In a struggle of two top-ten teams matching goal for goal, Lidia Sanza’s save from point blank with 2:06 left proved decisive for Franklin & Marshall. Sanza’s tenth save of the game allowed the #3 Diplomats to hang on for the win over #9 Union.
Shannon Summers and Jen Pritchard led the Diplomats each scoring three goals. Allie Cuozzo and Chelsea Charette both scored three goals for the Dutchwomen. Union dominated the drawing controls, winning 15 to Franklin & Marshall’s seven. Cat Ruggiero matched Sanza with 11 saves.
Union features Liberty League Player of the Year Kristin Joyce, who has 62 goals and 83 points, and Charette, who has scored 46 times with 27 assists for 73 points. Ruggiero, who is ranked second in the nation in goals against average, stands at 6.75 with a 13-3 record.
The Diplomats are paced by Summers, with 34 goals and 92 points, and Pritchard, who has 54 scores and 65 points. Sanza has a 7.07 goals against average and 15-1 record in the nets.
This is Union's sixth appearance in the NCAAs, and the second straight season that the Dutchwomen have reached the regionals. Last year they defeated Cortland but lost in the regional final at The College of New Jersey. Union now has a 5-5 all-time record in NCAA tournament play. This will be the fourth time this season that Union is playing a team that played in last year's NCAA title game. Union went 1-1 against Hamilton, which defeated F&M in last year's title game.
The Diplomats are making their fourth consecutive NCAA Championship tournament appearance and 12th overall. F&M is 11-10 in the NCAA postseason and has appeared in back-to-back National Championship games. The Diplomats won the 2007 National Championship and fell to Hamilton in the 2008 Championship Final.