GAME DAY INFORMATION |
DATE: March 13, 2020
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LOCATION: Kathy Zolad Stadium | West Haven, Conn. |
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GAME DAY LINKS |
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO |
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THE LEAD
The New Haven women's lacrosse team will open its 2021 season on Sunday with the first of 12 Northeast-10 Southwest Division games and the first of seven home games at Kathy Zolad Stadium when they welcome American International to West Haven. Opening draw against the Yellow Jackets is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. with all the action from Zolad Stadium broadcast live on the Charger Sports Network on NE10 NOW.
SPRING 2021 FAN POLICY
With the primary goal of keep those within the University Community safe, UNH will not be allowing fans from outside of the campus community at any athletic event. Any student, faculty or staff member attending an athletic contest must prove clearance in CoVerified upon arrival. Athletic facilities will be subject to State capacity limitations and spectators must abide by University masking and social distancing guidelines at all times.
SERIES HISTORY VS AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL
In a series that dates back to the 2001 campaign, New Haven holds a 17-3 overall record against its Northeast-10 Conference foe American International. Among those 17 victories are 15-straight against the Yellow Jackets with the last AIC victory dating back to April 2004. Additionally, New Haven holds a 9-1 record when playing on its home turf, and the Chargers have not lost to AIC since joining the NE10 for the 2009 season, having met their fellow conference member once each season with the exception of the shortened 2020 campaign.
SCOUTING THE CHARGERS
In its two games prior to having the 2020 season suspended due to the CoVID-19 pandemic, the Chargers racked up a 2-0 record with both wins coming on the home turf of Kathy Zolad Stadium. After opening the season with a commanding 22-4 win over Holy Family, the Blue and Gold scored a 13-11 win over No. 21 New York Tech in their final game before the shutdown. Leading the Chargers through those first two games were a pair of graduating seniors; Caroline Maher (Mansfield, Mass./Mansfield) and Julia Jette (Franklin, Mass./Franklin). Maher finished with nine points and was tied for the team-high with five goals while chipping in four assists. Jette was just behind her with eight points, splitting them evenly between goals and assists. The leading returner for New Haven is junior Marina Skelly (Ronkonkoma, N.Y./Connetquot) who was tied with Maher with a team-high five goals. One area where New Haven will rely solely on newcomers is between the pipes where the loss of Gianna Guerra (Stony Point, N.Y./North Rockland) and Erica Rinsky (North Caldwell, N.J./West Essex) leaves the Blue and Gold without a keeper who has seen game action.
SCOUTING THE YELLOW JACKETS
Prior to the 2020 season being suspended, American International hit the field four times, collecting a 3-1 overall record and a 1-1 mark in Northeast-10 Conference action. In their three victories, the Yellow Jackets outscored their opponents by nearly nine goals per game, averaging a total of 14.5 goals across all four games. AIC's two leading scorers from last year's shortened season return to the field in 2021 with rising sophomore Liz Day and rising senior Devin Coulter combining for 28 of the team's 58 total goals. Day led the way with 16 goals and 19 total points, while Coulter finished with 12 goals. Overall, 10 different players found the back of the cage, which on the other end of the field was controlled by Chelsea Davis who returns for a fifth-year between the pipes. Last season, Davis allowed 10.5 goals per game while collecting 33 saves.
THE 2021 SCHEDULE
As recently announced by the league, the NE10 adopted a divisional format for 2021 – Northeast and Southwest – with all schools slated to play a 12-game conference schedule. Each team will play their divisional opponents twice. New Haven will play in the Southwest Division which is made up of seven teams including Adelphi, American International, Le Moyne, Pace, Saint Rose and Southern Connecticut. In addition to its 12-game conference schedule, New Haven will play a single non-divisional game when they welcome the Bentley Falcons to West Haven on Wednesday, March 24.
CHARGERS FOURTH IN PRESEASON POLL
In a poll of the conference's 14 head coaches, the UNH women's lacrosse team was selected to finish fourth, among the seven teams, in the Southwest Division. Adelphi received 86 points and eight of the 14 possible first place votes to take the top spot in the division. Just two points behind them was Le Moyne who scored the remaining six first place tallies. Rounding out the top three was Pace with 61 points, followed closely by the Chargers with 58 points. Southern Connecticut (38 points), American International (32) and Saint Rose (26) rounded out the division. In the Northeast Division, Bentley and Assumption finished just one point apart for first place, with the Falcons earning 79 points and five first place votes, while Assumption came in with 78 points and seven first place votes.
LINTON NAMED PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN
In its annual release of preseason All-Americans in early January, US Lacrosse Magazine included graduate defender Raven Linton (Lawrenceville, N.J./Notre Dame) among its 13-member team. Linton was one of four players in the Northeast-10 to earn the distinction. In the shortened season in 2020, Linton finished with 18 draw controls, splitting them evenly against Holy Family and New York Tech, also scoring once against each. The defender has been a force on the draw since arriving at New Haven, amassing 265 total heading into the season opener against American International. Her 265 draw controls is currently second most in program history, needing just 10 to pass Kathryn Campbell (2012-15) who finished with 274. In addition, Linton has scored nine goals, racked up 103 ground balls and caused 90 turnovers.
CHARGERS NATIONALLY RANKED IN BOTH POLLS
Prior to entering its season opener on Saturday, the Chargers landed among the top teams in the country, earning a spot in both the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) and the Nike/US Lacrosse polls. In the Coaches Poll, conducted by the IWLCA, New Haven will open the season 15th among the top-25, while in the Nike/US Lacrosse Poll, New Haven comes in 18th in the 20-team poll conducted by the national governing body for women's lacrosse.
UP NEXT
New Haven will continue Southwest Division Northeast-10 play with its first road contest of the year, traveling to crosstown rival Southern Connecticut State University on Wednesday for the first of two meetings against the Owls. Opening draw in the rivalry game is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. at Jess Dow Field. The game will also serve as the season opener for the SCSU.
