March 5, 2005

GAME 2: #8 North Carolina (3-1) vs. Mount St. Mary's (0-1)
WHEN: Sun., Mar. 6, 2005, 1 p.m.
WHERE: Scott Bair Stadium at McDaniel College, Westminster, Md.

SERIES HISTORY: First Meeting
LAST MEETING: N/A
FIRST MEETING: Mar. 6, 2005
MOUNT'S LAST WIN: N/A

Opening Marker: Sunday's game between Mount St. Mary's and North Carolina marks the first meeting in program history between the two programs. The contest has been moved to Scott Bair Stadium at McDaniel College in Westminster, Md., due to field conditions at the Mount.

The Word on the Tar Heels: Eighth-ranked North Carolina enters the contest 3-1 after defeating No. 9 Loyola 9-8 on Friday. Freshman A Meg Freshwater scored the game-winner with 3:08 remaining in the game and finished the afternoon with a marker and an assist. The freshman has two goals and an assist for three points on the year. Senior A Allison Higgins paces the Tar Heels with 4 goals and five helpers for nine points. Sophomore M Jess Allen, who posted two tallies against the Greyhounds, ranks second on the team with seven goals and one assist for eight points. Sophomore M Christina Juras has four markers and two helpers for six points while junior M Stephanie Scurachio has four goals and one assist for five points. Sophomore GK Kristen Hordy recorded 54 saves this season.

Last Time Out: Fifth-ranked Georgetown defeated Mount St. Mary's 18-3 in the season opener for both teams on Wednesday. Kirby Day, Erin LaMotte and Lauren Reymann each found the back of the net for the Mount while Naomi Campano Radio posted 17 stops to cross the 600-saves mark for her career.

Levy vs. Martinez Connor: This meeting marks the 10^th meeting between North Carolina head coach Jenny Levy and Mount St. Mary's head coach Courtney Martinez Connor. Martinez Connor, who was a member of the Maryland Terrapins women's lacrosse team from 1997-01, posted a 5-4 record against the Tarheels as a player. Last season, Martinez Connor faced Virginia, another former ACC foe in the NCAA Division I tournament and the Mountaineers fell 19-2 in that contest. 

Mount Against The ACC: This contest marks the second matchup for the Mount against an Atlantic Coast Conference team. Mount St. Mary's lost to Virginia 19-2 last year in the first round of the NCAA Division I tournament.

Tough Road To Start: Mount St. Mary's will start the season against two ranked opponents. The Mount traveled to fifth-ranked Georgetown on Mar. 2 before hosting eighth-ranked North Carolina on Mar. 6. It will be the first time the Mount battles two ranked opponents in the same season.

Movin' On Up In Scoring: Senior Erin LaMotte ranks seventh on the program's all-time career goals list with 69. Next on the list is Lacey Morley (1998-01) with 83 markers. LaMotte also ranks 10^th in assists on the program's all-time assists list with 22. Erin Gargan (2001-02) currently ranks ninth in assists with 29. The senior ranks 10^th in points with 91 and needs two points to jump ahead of Amy Harris (92, 1999-02) for ninth place on the program's all-time list. The Hampstead native also ranks 10^th in program history in shots with 165. Senior Nicole Di'Angelo ranks ninth on the program's all-time goals list with 64. With two markers, she can pass former teammate Kelly Moran (65, 2000-03). Di'Angelo, who currently ranks fifth in assists, can jump into fourth place and ahead of Ashley Rusk (42, 1998-01) with three helpers. The senior is also in ninth and ahead of LaMotte in shots (179) with Laura Steinbraker (198, 1999-02) holding the eighth spot.

All-Time Netminder: Graduate student Naomi Campano Radio, the 2004 Northeast Conference Player of the Year, holds the program record for saves (615), minutes played (3,329) and wins (31). With 17 saves against Georgetown on Mar. 2, she will became the first player in program history with 600 stops.

Causing Mistakes: Junior redshirt Kelly Nangle ranks fifth on the program's all-time caused turnovers list with 70 caused turnovers. Next on the list is Michelle Coates (1999-02) with 78. Junior Kelsey Withrow ranks ninth in caused turonovers with 53 and can move into eighth place with two caused turnovers, passing Sarah Schaffner (54, 1998-00). Junior Jen Davison sits outside of the Top-10, but can move into the list with four caused turnovers.

Controlling The Draw: Senior Erin LaMotte ranks third on the program's all-time draw control list with 75. The senior needs 25 draws to become the third player in club history with 100 and that would also tie her with former teammate Kim Keane (100, 2001-04) for second place on the all-time list. Junior Jen Davison ranks seventh on the draw list with 53 and can move into sixth place with two more draw controls, passing Michelle Coates (54, 1999-02) for sixth place.

Local Interest: Mount St. Mary's has three players from Carroll or Frederick County on its roster in 2005. Senior Erin LaMotte (Hampstead, Md.) and junior Kelsey Withrow (Marriotsville, Md.) both are from Carroll County while Jacqui Ricca (Poolesville, Md.) hails from Frederick County.

Looking Back on 2004: The Mount is coming off its best season in program history when the squad posted a Northeast Conference record 15 victories and went 7-0 in conference action. The Mountaineers advanced NCAA Division I tournament for the first time.

Undergraduate Help: Senior Meghan Kelly, who played her first two seasons for the women's lacrosse team, will serve as an undergraduate assistant coach for the second consecutive season.

Leading The Charge: Head coach Courtney Martinez Connor, in her fourth season at the Mount, has posted a 31-25 mark in her first three seasons. She led the Mountaineers to their best season in program history last season with a 15-5 mark and 7-0 in Northeast Conference play to earn the NEC Coach of the Year honors. Martinez Connor is the all-time winningest coach and also has held the post for longest tenure in program history.

Looking For Home Field Advantage: In 2005, the team that wins the regular season will host the four-team Northeast Conference tournament. Despite winning the NEC regular season title last season, the Mount traveled to the second seeded Monmouth for the tournament.