Women's Lacrosse | 3/18/2019 11:20:00 AM
THE STORY
• The Bloomsburg University women's lacrosse team looks to stay hot on the road Tuesday at Shippensburg University. The Huskies are coming off an impressive 12-8 victory over 15th-ranked Mercyhurst, and are now 1-0 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) and 4-1 overall. Bloomsburg has not started a season 5-1 since 2010, but will have the opportunity against a Raiders team that comes into the contest at 3-2, and 1-0 in the PSAC.
INTO THE POLLS
• The Huskies are ranked 17th in the latest Nike/US Lacrosse Division II rankings Monday after an impressive come-from-behind victory over Mercyhurst on Saturday. Bloomsburg is the third PSAC school to appear in the rankings behind #4 West Chester and #14 East Stroudsburg. Defending National Champion Le Moyne sits at No. 1 in the rankings after a 5-0 start to the year. The Huskies also made their first appearance in the IWLCA Division II Coaches Poll Monday, ranking 25th.
THE HISTORY: BLOOMSBURG vs. SHIPPENSBURG
• Bloomsburg is 29-21-1 all-time against Shippensburg, including a thrilling 17-16 overtime victory over the Raiders a season ago.
Grace Kelleher (Rockville Centre, N.Y./South Side) had three goals and three assists for the Huskies in that win, while
Hannah Jaskuta (Gilbertsville, Pa./Boyertown Area) added three goals and two assists. Alana Cardaci had a game-high six goals and an assist to pace Shippensburg. Bloomsburg holds a 4-1 advantage over the last five seasons, and have not lost at Shippensburg since April 6, 2011.
THE HUSKIES AT A GLANCE
• Kelleher poured in a career-high seven goals and Bloomsburg tallied seven second-half goals en route to a 12-8 win over Mercyhurst University Saturday in Erie. The win marked the Huskies first victory over the Lakers since 2012. Locked in a 7-7 tie with just over 20 minutes to play in the second half, Bloomsburg ripped off five consecutive goals over the next 16 minutes of action to seize control and secure the victory.
Abby Kalish (Garnet Valley, Pa./Garnet Valley) added two goals on the day, while
Abby Bergman (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) finished with a team-high five draw controls. Goalkeeper
Angela DiPasquale (Paramus, N.J./Paramus) was marvelous once again for the Huskies, notching 14 saves in the complete game victory.
• Kelleher has been spectacular early in the season for Bloomsburg, leading the team in points (27), goals (17), and assist (10). Her 2.25 assists per game are good for third in the PSAC, and her 4.75 points per contest rank fifth in the conference. Jaskuta is second on the team in points (15) on 12 goals and three assists, while
Anna Dempsey (Pottstown, Pa./Owen J. Roberts) had tallied six goals and four assists. Bergman has added six goals, two assists, and a team-high 21 draw controls.
• Bloomsburg has been tremendous defensively early in the season, leading the PSAC in caused turnovers (17.75) and ground balls (28.0) per game. Sophomore
Tiffany Diachynsky (Barto, Pa./Boyertown Area) leads the conference in caused turnovers per game with (2.50), while
Erika Biehl (Springfield, Pa./Springfield) is just behind at 2.25 caused turnovers per contest.
Abby Nocito (Mount Laurel, N.J./Lenape) has recorded nine caused turnovers and 14 ground balls, and DiPasquale's 4.67 ground balls per game (team-leading 18 total) lead the PSAC this season. DiPasquale has been one of the best net-minders in the conference in 2019, posting a .582 save percentage and 9.50 goals against average (GAA) in four starts. The junior also leads the conference in saves per game (13.00).
SCOUTING THE RAIDERS
• Shippensburg is 3-2 overall, and 1-0 in the PSAC following an 18-13 win over Gannon Saturday in Erie. The Raiders jumped out to an early 6-0 lead in the first half, and kept the Golden Knights at arms length for the rest of the afternoon. Cardaci led the way offensively for the Raiders with six goals and an assist, while Madi Newman and Kami Holt added three goals apiece. Freshman Shaely Gamble got the nod in goal for Shippensburg and tallied five saves in the win. Senior defender Valerie Hertz had an historic day Saturday, setting a new program record for career caused turnovers with 125.
• Cardaci has been a goal-scoring machine for the Raiders this season, leading the team in points (20) and goals scored (17). She ranks fifth in the PSAC in goals per game (3.40) and 10th in points per game (4.00). Jena MacDonald has accumulated 12 points on four goals and a team-high eight assists, while Newman and Holt each have eight goals and three assists on the year. Hertz has a team-high 27 draw controls, and ranks second in the PSAC in ground balls per game (4.20). Gamble has started all five games in the net for the Raiders and has notched 35 saves.
• The Raiders were picked to finish just 10th in the PSAC preseason coaches poll, but jumped out to a strong start with back-to-back wins over Wilmington (DE) and Shepherd. Shippensburg dropped to .500 with losses to Georgian Court and 22nd-ranked NYIT, but got back on track with Saturday's win at Gannon. The Raiders will remain home for a conference battle with Mercyhurst Saturday, before traveling to Kutztown next Wednesday, March 27.
LOOKING AHEAD
• The Huskies will wrap up a four-game road trip this Thursday, March 21, at Chestnut Hill College. The matchup with the Griffins was originally scheduled for March 5, but was postponed due to inclement weather. Bloomsburg returns home on Saturday, March 23, to host Millersville. First draw with Chestnut Hill Thursday is set for 6:30 p.m.
