IMMACULATA, Pa.- For the fourth consecutive season, the Immaculata University women's lacrosse team is preparing to host a Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) Quarterfinal contest on Saturday afternoon. The Mighty Macs are the fourth seed and will be hosting the fifth-seeded Centenary College Cyclones at 12 p.m. at Draper Walsh Stadium.
The Mighty Macs completed the regular season at 7-10 overall and 6-3 in the CSAC while the Cyclones finished at 5-10 overall and 4-5 in the CSAC. They finished tied with Gwynedd Mercy, but earned the five seed by virtue of an 18-8 victory over the Griffins earlier this season.
The Mighty Macs have won their CSAC Quarterfinal games in 2013, 2014, and 2015 to advance to the CSAC Semifinals where their season has ended each time. As the No. 4 seed in 2013, IU topped No. 5 Notre Dame, 16-4, and got the No. 4 seed again in 2014 as they beat No. 5 Gwynedd Mercy, 18-12. Last season, the Macs got all the way up to a No. 3 seed and beat No. 6 Notre Dame, 18-6. Saturday will be the first meeting between the Mighty Macs and the Cyclones in the CSAC postseason.
These two teams matched up earlier this season on Saturday, April 16
th, and the Macs held on for a 15-14 victory over the Cyclones. They took an 11-3 lead into the locker room before Centenary stormed back in the second half, outscoring IU 11-4, but the Macs held on for the one goal victory. Sophomore First Team All-CSAC member
Hannah Verrecchia scored seven goals in the win to pace the Macs in a game they never trailed. Senior Honorable Mention All-CSAC member
Shannon Neill netted three goals and sophomore
Nicole Dominick also had three goals. First Team All-CSAC member Abby Voelkner led the way for the Cyclones with five goals on the day.
On defense, senior
Elizabeth McBride made 11 saves, and freshman First Team All-CSAC defender
Bailey Krewson led the team with seven groundballs.
IU relies on Verrecchia to be their finisher on offense as she led the team with 54 goals and 61 points this season. Dominick had a breakout season as a sophomore, scoring 32 goals and dishing out 17 assists for 49 points, all good for second best on the team. Neill was outstanding again this season as the facilitator with a team-high 27 assists to give her 105 for her career, the most for any Mighty Mac in team history. Sophomore
Rosemarie Reitman was also strong offensively with 24 goals and seven assists.
Sophomore
Brittany Whaley earned Second Team All-CSAC as one of IU's top two-way players as she scored 29 goals, but also led the team in draw controls with 61 and caused turnovers with 27. Whaley was second on the squad with 51 groundballs.
Defensively, the Macs were solid, led by Krewson who had a team-best 52 groundballs and chipped in with 19 caused turnovers. Sophomore
Olivia Carter (27 groundballs) and junior
Bridget Polansky (32 groundballs) form the rest of the IU back line.
In the cage, McBride has been 3-5 over the last eight games, making 66 saves.
Centenary is led by Voelkner who equaled Verrecchia with 54 goals this season and added 10 assists. Devin Sutko was named to the Second Team All-CSAC and led the conference with 48 assists along with 24 goals for a team-high 72 points. Carlie Schmitt (37 points) and Priscilla Ortiz (23 points) have also contributed offensively for the Cyclones.
On defense, they are led by Honorable Mention All-CSAC selection Kelly Conklin (31 groundballs). In the cage, Renee Hack has played every minute and made 133 saves.
The game is set to begin at 12 p.m. at Draper Walsh Stadium. If you can't make it out, you can follow on www.gomightymacs.com.
