GAME DAY INFORMATION |
DATE: March 5, 2022
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LOCATION: Ravenhill Field | Philadelphia Pa. |
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GAME DAY LINKS |
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO |
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Following the 2021 season finishing 7-7 against only schools in the conference, New Haven starts their 2022 campaign with three straight road contests against programs outside the NE10. First up, is Thomas Jefferson University located in Philadelphia.
Start Up of the 2022 Season
The 2022 season features 17 contests before making a run for the Northeast-10 Conference Championship. New Haven doesn't play at Kathy Zolad until Mar. 19 following their first three games on the road against non-conference opponents: Jefferson, Georgian Court, and Indiana (Pa.). Their home opener is one of three at Zolad in the span of less than a week before heading back on the road for two.
Series History vs Jefferson
New Haven opens up their 2022 season at Thomas Jefferson, a team that holds eight wins over the Chargers in their total nine meetings. However, the Rams and the Chargers have not met since the spring of 2008. New Haven's solo victory was back in 2007, a 12-11 outcome in their last game of the season at Kathy Zolad Stadium, when Jefferson was nationally ranked No. 10.
The 2007 season was head coach Jen Fallon's debut at New Haven. In her takeover of the lacrosse program she matched the program record finishing her inaugural season with seven victories.
Before Fallon, the Chargers kicked off their relationship with the Rams losing every single one of their seven meetings, each one by at least seven, besides their second of the 2005 season where they fell by two, 10-12.
Scouting the Rams
Jefferson's roster is a particularly young crew, holding only one senior who has been with the program since her freshman year. Last season Erin Campbell, a midfielder who was named the 2021 CACC Defensive Player of the Year for the second time, started all 14 contests and ranked second on the team in goals with 29 and a single assist. The now senior was also named to the All-CACC First Team at the end of the 2021 season.
Erin Avanzato made her debut for the Rams last season as a freshman. She later on went to be named the conference's Rookie of the Year on top of making the All-CACC second team alongside four other teammates. She lead the team in scoring with 48 points on 38 goals and ten assists. She was the most aggressive Ram in terms of shot attempts, aiming a total of 86 towards the net. Avanzato is one of ten sophomores on the team in the 2022 season.
Jefferson is already 0-1 this season falling to Pace on Feb. 27, 5-16. They visit East Stroudsburg before welcoming the Chargers in their home opener.
George Chris-Luca, the longest head coach the program has seen, is going onto his 14th season. He coached his way to win three CACC Championships, his most recent being in 2018, but also back in 2009 during his start-up season as head coach. In 2021 he took his team to the CACC finals after going 11-3 overall with only one conference loss in the regular season to Georgian Court. The Lions ended Chris-Luca's fourth championship in the final game of the postseason as the Rams fell to Georgian Court 10-15. The coach's highlighted wins of the 2021 campaign were his two shutout games where his team scored 22-0 and 21-0 in back-to-back contests at home to Nyack and Caldwell.
In the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference's Preseason Poll, Jefferson received a total of 84 votes including three first-place counts. The spot for first in the poll was a close running between the Rams and the Georgian Court Lions who received 85 total votes, six first place, after finishing their 2021 run by being named CACC Champions with a 12-2 overall record going undefeated in the conference.
Scouting the Chargers
Before the cancellation of the 2020 season, New Haven hosted two games to end their season early with a 2-0 record: an 18-point victory over Holy Family and a 13-11 matchup against No. 21 New York Tech.
In 2021, Fallon and her team finished with a .500 win percentage, while holding a conference record of 6-5. They premiered their season with a 17-7 win over American International before falling their next three.
Midway through their campaign, the Chargers put up a high of 21 goals when Saint Rose came to West Haven. Eight Chargers found the back of the net including Julia Astram (Milford, Conn./Milford) and Marina Skelly (Ronkonkoma, N.Y./Connetquot) who score four and three goals, respectively.
Skelly, who started all 14 games for New Haven, lead the team in scoring. Annie Acquavita (Cheshire, Conn./Cheshire), a junior attack, made 11 starts scoring 28 goals with five assists, coming in second in both categories behind Skelly.
New Haven's roster contains three goalkeepers, sophomores Gabby Buscemi (East Patchogue, N.Y./Patchogue-Medford) and Fabi McLeod (Concord, N.H./Cheshire Academy), also freshman Madeline Sage (Manchester, N.H./Goffstown High School). McLeod made six starts last season and made ten appearances guarding the net. Buscemi started the other eight games 65 saves helping the team to four victories.
The Blue and Gold made it past No. 5 Southern Connecticut in the first round of the Northeast-10 Championship to advance to the semifinals in Syracuse at Le Moyne. In the quarterfinals the Chargers fell to the first-seeded Dolphins 5-17. The Chargers were down 13-2 midway throughout. They put up three goals in the second portion but were eliminated from the championship run separated by 12 points.
Chargers finish Sixth in Preseason Poll
New Haven tied for sixth place next to Franklin Pierce in the 2022 Coaches Preseason Poll. The Chargers received 109 votes with five schools sitting before them: Le Moyne, Adelphi, Pace, Bentley, and Saint Anselm. The Dolphins ring in first place in the poll with 167 total votes, 11 first-place, while the Panthers tallied three first-place votes and 157 total.
Skelly Named Preseason All-American
Prior to the start of this season, New Haven's star midfielder was recognized by USA Lacrosse Magazine as Preseason All-American. She was one of four listed to the second team in the midfield position.
In her previous season as a junior, she performed at an All-Region and All-Conference level leading the Chargers in scoring with 36 goals and seven assists rendering in 43 points. Her handful of goals closed out the season seventh in the Northeast-10, also the 1.07 free position goals per game ranked in the top 30 across all Division II programs.
Aside from leading the team in goals, Skelly led the Chargers in shots (95), shots on goal (71), free position goals (15), and free position shots (33).
When and Where
Ravenhill Field, home of the Rams, sets the stage for New Haven's season opener on Saturday, Mar. 5 with a noon start. This will be game one of three on the Charger's initial road trip before returning home for their opener at Kathy Zolad on Saturday, Mar 19.
To follow along live tune into the NE10 Now Network on gamely or with the play-by-play on NewHavenChargers.com.
