ROCK HILL, SC – Carrying a three-game winning streak, the Winthrop lacrosse team will close out its six-match home stand over the next three days, hosting Vermont on Saturday and Bucknell Monday at Eagle Field.
The Eagles enter the 1 p.m. Saturday contest against the Vermont Catamounts with a 4-1 record after a strong showing in a 19-7 victory over St. Francis last Sunday. A win over Vermont will equal the longest win streak in the program's history of four games.
Senior attacker Jenna Kasmarik continues to lead the team, the conference and the NCAA Division I in goals per game as she has averaged five tallies per contest this year. Her 20 totals goals lead the Big South and are 6th in the NCAA.
Junior defender Hayley Krause leads the conference in draw controls, averaging 5.4 draw per game which ranks her 11th in Division I. Freshman midfielder Katherine Judge ranks second in the NCAA and first in the Big South in ground balls, averaging four per contest.
Vermont comes to Rock Hill with a 3-2 record and recently knocked off fellow Big South member High Point 13-11 on Wednesday. All of the Catamounts' games this year have been decided by three goals or less. This will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
The Catamounts are led by senior Jessica Roach who has totaled 20 points this season on 18 goals and two assists. The team's second-leading scorer is junior Danielle Seifert who has scored eight times this season. Vermont has a senior goalie in net, Meg Hopkins who has recorded all decisions this season. She has a .443 save percentage this season, totaling 39 saves.
Bucknell will enter Monday's 4 p.m. contest with a 2-3 record and recently had its Friday contest against Lehigh postponed. The Bison last played on February 28, falling 11-9 to Villanova.
The Bison have scored an average of just over eight goals per contest this season while allowing an average of 11.4 per game.
Senior Emily Kookogey leads Bucknell with 12 points on eight goals and four assists. Sophomore Maddy Molinari leads the team with nine goals while sophomore Christina Manis leads the side with six assists. Freshman Gretchen Richter has been a force in the center circle for the Bison, corralling 24 of the team's 53 draw controls this year. Sophomore Elizabeth Duswalt has played all but 16 minutes this season, making 36 total saves with a .396 save percentage.
Following the Bucknell contest, the Eagles will head on the road for the first time in over a month when they make a cross-country trip to California. Winthrop will face Fresno State on Sunday, March 15 and San Diego State on Wednesday, March 18.
