READING, Pa. – The Albright women's lacrosse team pursuit to become MAC Commonwealth champions begins on Wednesday, May 2. The Lions will face off against Stevenson at 4 p.m. at Mustang Stadium.
This is the third straight season in which Albright has made the postseason with the program finished 10-6 overall and 6-2 in the conference. The Lions, who are the third seed in the tournament, enter Wednesday night's game winners of their last two games—both of which have been on the road.
Albright and Stevenson squared off against one another once during the regular season. Despite hat tricks from
Sophie Bass and
Kelly Baumann, the Mustangs won the meeting 23-11 on April 19. The Lions also received goals from
Devon Mela (2),
Patricia Horgan (2) and Corrine Donohue.
Stevenson jumped out to an 8-2 lead before Albright mounted a comeback. The Lions scored five unanswered goals to pull within one with 8:03 remaining in the opening half. The Mustangs responded by scoring eight straight goals over a 10:51 minute stretch that lasted into the second half to pull away and hold on for the victory. Olivia Monteiro led all players with seven goals, while Tori Bruno added six goals in the match.
Mela leads the team in goals and points per match as the freshman has 47 goals and 54 points this season.
Mariah Cullen and Bass are not too far behind their teammate. Over 16 matches, Cullen has accumulated 32 goals and a team-leading 21 assists for 53 points in her final season. In her second season in red and white, Bass has recorded 36 goals. The only other player to tally 30 or more goals this season for Albright is Baumann, who has 33 goals.
Another key contributor to the Lions is goalkeeper Haley Joyce. A two-time MAC Defensive Player of the Week, the senior averages 8.50 saves per game, which ranks second in the league. Her .458 save percentage is fourth best in the conference.
The Mustangs wrapped up their regular season on Saturday, where they lost 13-10 to Denison. Senior Monteiro leads the team in both goals and points as well as is tied for the team-lead in assists. Monteiro's 54 goals ranks second in the conference, while her 70 points are third best. A trio of seniors round out Stevenson's top performers. Brady Heher (33), Bruno (31) and Mackenzie Reese (30) are the only other players to have 30 or more goals for Stevenson. Reese is tied with Monteiro with 16 assists for the team lead. The Mustangs, who average 29.3 shots per match, score an average of 14.19 goals.
On Tuesday, Mela was selected as Rookie of the Year by the MAC. The Lions had a total of six selections, including three Second Team selections. Baumann, Cullen, and Joyce were all named to the Second Team, while Mela, Bass and
Sydney Nankervis were named Honorable Mention. For the Mustangs, Monteiro and Alexis Dipeso earned the top awards. Along with both earning First Team honors, Monteiro and Dispeso were named Offensive Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, respectively. Reese and Jamie Bittner were both selected to the Second Team, while Mack Ferguson was named Honorable Mention.
Admission to the game is set for $5 adults, $4 for seniors and $2 for students. Children under 6 years old do not need a ticket for the game.
