Pioneers and Bobcats Face-off for First Place
4/10/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
April 10, 2008
Sacred Heart vs. Quinnipiac Game Notes in PDF Format 
Sacred Heart Pioneers (9-5, 6-0 NEC) vs. Quinnipiac Bobcats (7-4, 5-1 NEC)
Game #15 - Friday, April 11, 2008 - 4:00 pm - Fairfield, Conn. - Campus Field
Pioneers and Bobcats Face-off for First Place... The Sacred Heart Pioneers put their 6-0 Northeast Conference record on the line Friday afternoon playing host to the Quinnipiac Bobcats on Campus Field. The Pioneers have already locked up a spot in the NEC Tournament and can clinch the top-seed and hosting rights with a win over the Bobcats. SHU has won a school record seven-straight as they take on QU who has strung together five-straight wins of their own.
The SHU-QU Series... Sacred Heart leads the all-time series, 9-3. The Pioneers have won two-straight in the series thanks to a 31-11 win at Quinnipiac last season. The Pioneers at one time owned a five-game winning streak in the series before Quinnipiac wins in 2005 and 2004. SHU has lost just once to Quinnipiac at home, in 2004, 12-9. The Pioneers took the initial meeting in 1996.
Up Next... Sacred Heart will finish off their non-conference schedule on Wednesday, April 16th with a trip to Holy Cross. Game time is slated for 7:00 pm.
Last Meeting with Quinnipiac... Mary Montesarchio and Amanda Williams each scored three times to guide the Pioneers to a 13-11 win at Quinnipiac last April. The Pioneers held off a late Bobcat charge and ran out the clock for the remaining 3:45 of play to garner the win. Sacred Heart came out firing and took a quick 4-0 lead just 8:06 into the game before running their lead to 8-1 by the 7:45 mark. Quinnipiac put one on the board at 20:55 but SHU answered right back with another 4-0 jaunt. Senior Brianna Bubeck, who for the first time all season was held without a goal, passed out three of her career-high four assists on the run. The teams went to recess with the Pioneers in control with a 9-4 lead. The Bobcats struck first in the second half, scoring out of the gates at 28:15. Sacred Heart put a damper in a comeback effort to begin the second half with two straight goals. The two teams traded goals from just under the 18 minute mark until 14:46 giving the Pioneers a 13-7 advantage. The Bobcats geared up and put together one more rally, scoring four-straight. From there, the Pioneers took control and ran out the clock. After a Quinnipiac turnover inside the eight-meter arc, Sacred Heart regained possession and successfully cleared the ball with 3:45 remaining in regulation. The Pioneers kept possession of the ball inside the restraining line until the clock ran out for the win. SHU used a balanced offensive attack with seven different Pioneers finding the back of the net while collecting eight assists on their 13 goals.
Another NEC Tourney Appearance... The Pioneers clinched their third-straight NEC Tournament berth and the sixth in their history in the league. If the Pioneers beat the Bobcats, SHU will clinch their first-ever NEC Regular season title and host the four-team tournament. Sacred Heart served as host of the league tournament once before in 2003 but did not qualify for the event. #2 seeded UMBC took the title that year beating #4 seeded Mount St. Mary's.
Jessica Ingrilli, NEC Rookie of the Week... Jessica Ingrilli earned the NEC Rookie of the Week award for the second-straight week. Ingrilli netted seven goals and grabbed nine ground balls during Sacred Heart's 2-0 week. The rookie middie buried her only two shots taken against LIU into the back of the net while also collecting four ground balls in a 14-4 SHU win. Ingrilli followed with a prime performance in a 17-8 triumph over Wagner, notching five goals and five grounders. Scoring twice in less than five minutes, she helped turn a 4-2 first-half deficit into a 5-4 lead before scoring three more times during a 13-minute span in the second period that solidified the win.
Montesarchio a Record Breaker... Junior Mary Montesarchio continues to add to her school record season assist totals. Montesarchio totalled seven more assists in last week's games raising her season total to 30 on the year. he also set new marks for assists in a season and career assists. She has also passed Jen Fallon's (1993-96) 52 career helpers and now owns the career mark with 60 and counting.
NEC Stats... The Sacred Heart Pioneers are ranked fourth in the league in goals per game (11.57), third in assists per game (5.57) and fourth in points per game (17.14). SHU is second in shot percentage (.468). The Pioneers have the second ranked defensive unit allowing just 9.14 goals per game. Amanda Williams is fifth in goals per game (2.36) while Katie Salamone sits ninth (1.93). Mary Montesarchio is second in the NEC in assists per game (2.14) and fourth in points per game (3.21). Williams is 10th in points (2.93) and tied for first with four game-winning goals. Chelsea Wagner is second in goals against average (9.32) and saves per game (10.64) and first in save percentage (.544)
History... This is the Pioneer's 11th year of competition in the Northeast Conference. Sacred Heart has qualified for the NEC Tournament five times and posts a 95-77 Division I record. The Pioneers have posted 10 wins three times.
