Complete NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse Game Notes vs. Franklin & Marshall
GENESEO, N.Y. - SUNY Geneseo squares off with Franklin & Marshall (Pa.) in the third round of the NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse Tournament on Saturday.
The Knights advanced to Saturday's game following a 5-4 victory over Stevenson last Saturday in the first-ever NCAA Tournament home game in program history. The Diplomats also advanced to the round-of-16 after pulling away from Catholic for a 17-11 win at home. This is the first ever meeting between the two teams.
The winner will advance to Sunday's quarterfinal game at 1:00 p.m. to play the winner of Saturday's first game between host Salisbury and Augustana (Ill.) with a berth in the national semifinals on the line.
FOLLOWING ALONG WITH THE GAME
Fans can follow along with live stats and a live webcast from all of this weekend's games by logging on to www.suseagullsports.com and clicking on the NCAA Women's Lacrosse Link on the left side of the page.
GENESEO IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Geneseo is making its second-straight appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Knights made the program's first-ever NCAA postseason showing in 2013, upsetting host Susquehanna (Pa.), 15-7, in the first round before falling to Bowdoin, 10-6, in a second-round game hosted by Cortland. Geneseo kicked off the 2014 NCAA Tournament with 5-4 victory over visiting Stevenson (Md.) last Saturday in its first-ever NCAA home game.
GENESEO IN THE SUNYAC
Geneseo received an at-large bid to the 2014 NCAA Tournament after finishing second in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) regular season with a 7-1 record, before finishing runner-up in the SUNYAC Tournament. The Knights defeated third-seeded Fredonia, 12-9, in the semifinals, before falling to top-seeded Cortland, 14-3, in the Championship game. It was the second-straight season Geneseo fell to Cortland in the conference title game.
WINNING WAYS
Geneseo has compiled a school-record 17 victories this season, eclipsing the old mark of 13 totaled during the 2013 campaign. In the 19 years of the program, 11 teams have won at least 10 games, including nine under 11th-year head coach Carly Ritchlin. The 2014 senior class will graduate with the most victories (51) and highest winning percentage (.739) in a four-year span, entering the weekend with 51-18 record to date.
FOUR KNIGHTS NAMED EMPIRE REGION ALL-STARS BY IWLCA
Four SUNY Geneseo women's lacrosse players were named All-Empire Region all-stars by the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA), Monday. Senior attack Caroline Buonocore and senior midfielder Emily Haggerty were named first-team all-stars, while senior defender Bridget McGovern and junior attack Katey Hart landed on the second team. The quartet also was honored by the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) as Buonocore and Haggerty were voted first-team all-conference, while McGovern and Hart lauded second-team recognition. Four honorees is a single-season high for both all-region and All-SUNYAC for Geneseo.
BONNIE LASS
Geneseo senior attack Caroline Buonocore became the first player in program history to be named a three-time IWLCA All-Empire Region pick after landing first-team honors in 2012 and second-team recognition a year ago, Buonocore also became Geneseo's first four-time State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) first-team selection last week. Currently tied for sixth in the SUNYAC with 47 goals, and tied for seventh with 63 points, she became Geneseo's all-time leading scorer earlier this season, totaling 272 points to date, while also becoming the first Knights player ever to surpass 200 goals, currently standing with 225. She scored a career-best six goals in a victory over Western Connecticut (Mar. 16) while notching six games with at least four goals, including four-goal, two-assist performances against Oswego (Apr. 17) and at Buffalo State (Apr. 22).
SWEET SIXTEEN
Geneseo senior midfielder Emily Haggerty was named a first-team IWLCA First-Team All-Empire Region pick for the second year in a row earlier this week, becoming only the second two-time all-region pick in team annals. A three-time All-SUNYAC honoree after garnering her second first-team certificate earlier this season to go along with a second-team nod as a sophomore, she currently ranks third in the SUNYAC with 68 points and is also tied for third with 48 goals. Geneseo's all-time assist leader with 84, the team co-captain also ranks second in program history in goals (156) and points (240). She scored career-highs with seven points and six goals at Potsdam (Apr. 12), while logging three other games with six total points. Haggerty was credited with five goals and an assist in the season-opener at St. Joseph's (L.I.) and again at Buffalo State (Apr. 22), while also totaling a goal and a career-best five assists at RIT (Mar. 11). Haggerty was named to the Synapse Sports All-America third-team a season ago.
THE MCGOVERNATOR
Geneseo senior defender Bridget McGovern will graduate this month as one of the top two-sport student-athletes in Geneseo history. A four-time all-region and all-conference selection in field hockey, McGovern was named a second-team IWLCA All-Empire Region pick this week after anchoring a Knights defensive unit that ranks 10th nationally in scoring defense, only allowing 7.11 goals per game. The team co-captain has also led a defense that stands 41st in the country in scoring margin, as the Knights are out-scoring their opponents by an average of 4.95 goals per game.
IF I ONLY HAD A HART
Geneseo junior attack Katey Hart was named a second-team IWLCA All-Empire Region honoree earlier this week. Also voted a second-team SUNYAC All-Star, she currently stands eighth in the SUNYAC with 62 points while her 51 goals rank her third in the league. Also voted a team co-captain, her 124 goals over the last three seasons already stand sixth all-time, while her 151 points are eighth all-time. She scored three goals, including the game-winner with 1:10 left in regulation, as the Knights earned a 5-4 victory over Stevenson (Md.) on Saturday in the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament. During the season, she notched a career-best seven goals in a win at RIT (Mar. 11) and also logged five goals and two assists in a win at Buffalo State (Apr. 22).
DYNAMIC DUO
Geneseo senior attack Caroline Buonocore and senior Emily Haggerty have combined to become the highest-scoring 1-2 punch in Geneseo history. Over the last four years, Buonocore has become the program's all-time leader with 275 points and 226 goals, while Haggerty is second in points (246) and goals (160) and first in assists (86). Both natives of Syracuse, N.Y., the duo graduated from Westhill High School together in 2010 and has been playing together since 2005.
