King finishes career with All-American selection By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/19
George Mason senior Laura King (Springfield-Delco) capped a brilliant career by being named third-team Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) All-American at attack. King led George Mason in points (57), goals (42), game-winning goals, assists (15) and draw controls (35) and was second in caused turnovers (25). She ranks second all-time at George Mason in goals (152) and points (187), and fifth in draw controls.
King helped the Patriots set a school record for wins (12-5 overall) and reach the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) finals where they fell to Towson, 8-7. King was a member of the CAA Championship All-Tourna ment Team.
King also was named First-Team IWLCA All-South, First-Team All-CAA, and was a Virginia Sports Information Directors First-Team All-State pick.
King enjoyed similar success in the classroom, earning Athletic Director's Honor Roll during the spring semester. She also was named the recipient of the CAA Commissioner's Academic Award and was named the George Mason Female Student-Athlete of the Year Award.
Last month, King scored a goal to help lead the South to an 11-8 victory over the North in the annual IWLCA/Under Armour Division I North-South Senior All-Star Game at the United Sports Training Center in Downingtown.
Also at George Mason, sophomore attacker Megan Udovich (Ridley) had 18 goals and five assists.
Mosenson enjoys big year at Syracuse
Syracuse junior attacker Megan Mosenson (Great Valley) had her best season at Syracuse, hitting career highs in goals (43) and assists (19), while helping the Orangewomen reach the NCAA semifinals.
Mosenson was selected to the Championship All-Tournament Team for her performance against a 16-8 loss to eventual champion Northwestern in the national semifinals. Mosenson had all her goals in the first half when Syracuse trailed just 7-6.
Syracuse finished the 2008 season with an 18-3 record and advanced to the national semifinals for the first time in the program’s history. Mosenson also had scored a hat trick against Northwestern in a 19-7 loss to the Wildcats in the regular season. Former Hoya Cannon fires in hat trick vs. LA By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/17
Recent Georgetown graduate Brendan Cannon (Haverford School) scored the first three goals of his professio nal career July 6 for Chicago in an 18-16 loss to the Los Angeles Riptide in Major League Lacrosse (MLL) action.
Cannon, an attacker who earned honorable mention Division I All-American honors this year, was selected in the third round (23rd pick) of the June MLL draft by the Machine.
Cannon led Georgetown (9-4 overall, ranked 11th in the nation) in scoring with 23 goals and 21 assists for 44 points in 2008, despite missing the final game of the regular season with an injury. A three-time first-team All-ECAC selection, Cannon finished the season first in the ECAC, and 15th nationally, with 3.58 points per game, and fourth in the ECAC, and 17th in the country, with 1.77 points per game.
Cannon graduated as one of the most explosive offensive players in Georgetown history, scoring 73 goals and 84 assists for 157 points in 54 career games. Also a three-time All-American selection, Cannon's 157 career points rank seventh all-time at Georgetown. Also for Georgetown this year, senior midfielder Scott Kahoe (Radnor) returned from a major shoulder injury that forced him to miss his junior year. He played in all 13 games, starting two, and had three goals, two assists and six groundballs.
Junior middie Todd Cochran (Conestoga) was sixth on the Hoyas with 10 goals and added eight groundballs. Senior defender Chris Early (Radnor) played in five games and had two groundballs.
Brady enjoys strong freshman season at Villa Julie
Freshman attacker Drew Brady (Penncrest) tallied 14 goals and added 6 assists for 11th-ranked (in Division III) Villa Julie (13-4), which fell to top-ranked and eventual national champion Salisbury, 20-10, in the Capital Athletic Conference championship game.
Brady’s highlight was a hat trick March 12 in a 17-5 rout of Wheaton College. Also for Villa Julie, freshman defender Ian Hart (Ridley) played in 11 games and scooped eight groundballs and sophomore middie Jon O’Donnell (Great Valley) had three groundballs in three games. Philly stars shine at Under Armour Seniors By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/15
La Salle midfielder Conrad Ridgway admitted he was a little awed when he first took a look at the competition Saturday in the third Under Armour Senior All-American Game at Towson University's Johnny Unitas Stadium outside Baltimore.
“Before the game, I was a little nervous playing against that kind of competition,” said Ridgway, a Penn State signee who played for the South All-Stars, who fell, 13-12. “Every guy out there was the star of their team and one of the best players in country.
“But I thought I held my own. It was a nice confidence booster to play with kids that good.”
Ridgway was one of five Philadelphia players selected to the prestigious event. His South team also featured midfielder Chris Layne (Malvern Prep, North Carolina), defender Peter Borror (Haverford School, Virginia) and attacker Owen Blye (Downingtown East, Maryland).
Midfielder Matt Mackrides (Malvern Prep, Penn State) was unable to play because he was competing Saturday for Team USA in its victory over Canada in the International Lacrosse Federation U-19 World Championships.
Ridgway made his mark late in the game when his team found itself down, 12-11. He was about to set up a play for one of the North attackers, but instead took it himself and used a split dodge to get open before drilling one home past game MVP and fellow Penn State recruit Steven Rastivo (Ward Melville, N.Y.) to tie the game, 12-12.
“I actually was supposed to run a play for an attack, but he waved it off and told me to go ahead and take it,” said Ridgway, who earned first-team All-American this year while helping La Salle win the final Eastern Pennsylvania Scholastic Lacrosse Association (EPSLA) and Keystone Cup championships. “It was spur of the moment. "I used a split dodge and ran down the right side and shot. It was right inside the far post and it happened to beat the goalie. (CONTINUE) Philly's Moyer, McGlone, Christmas earn honors Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/14 Philadelphia Barrage defenseman Brett Moyer (Ridley) has been named the Major League Lacrosse (MLL) Defensive Player of the Week.
Moyer helped the Barrage to a 16-11 victory over the New Jersey Pride on Thursday night, extending the two-time defending champion's win streak to three straight games. In addition to recording three ground balls in the victory, the former Hofstra University defender held New Jersey Pride attackman Merrick Thomson without a point for the first time this season, snapping a nine-game goal-scoring streak.
Moyer has played in all nine games this year for the Barrage and ranks fifth on the team with 17 ground balls.
McGlone helps Dragons snap skid Bill McGlone (Ridley) was named game MVP by scoring three goals and adding an assist to lead the host San Francisco Dragons to a 17-14 victory over the Chicag o Machine Saturday night in MLL action
It was the Dragons’ first win since an overtime victory against the Machine on June 14. They had lost four straight. Since being traded to the Dragons three weeks ago, McGlone has scored six goals with three assists in three games. Also for the Dragons – coached by former Philadelphia Barrage assistant Tom Slate (Springfield-Delco) – Xander Ritz (Radnor) had two goals, Steve Holmes (Germantown Academy) scored once, Todd Gurenlian (Springfield-Delco) had two assists and Mike Podgajny (Ridley) added one assist. Ritz, a former Dragon and member of the Barrage who recently played for the Los Angeles Riptide, was reacquired two w eeks ago.
Christmas fires in game-winner for Cannons
Attackman John Christmas (Lower Merion) earned MVP honors with his game-winning goal with just five seconds left on the game clock as the Boston Cannons defeated the Long Island Lizards, 13-12, in front of 9,178 fans at Harvard Stadium on Saturday night.
The Cannons (5-3) are tied with Rochester for second place in the Eastern Division, one-half game behind the Barrage. Christmas has 13 goals and 13 assists this year.
Philly players gear for Under Armour Classic By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/11
Philadelphia players will be showcased Saturday in the third Under Armour Classic at Towson University.
Five Philly players – four boys and one girl – will compete in the North-South All-Stars games, featuring the top 90 seniors in the country. The girls' game will be at 6 p.m. at the Johnny Unitas Stadium, followed by the boys' game.
Meanwhile, Philly boys’ and girls’ teams will compete in the first Underclassmen Classic, a four-team tourney that also includes teams from New Jersey, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.
Malvern Prep midfielder Chris Layne (signed with North Carolina), Downingtown East attacker Owen Blye (Maryland), Haverford School defender Peter Borror (Virginia) and La Salle midfielder Conrad Ridgway (Penn State) will play for the North in the boys’ senior all-star game. A fifth player, Malvern Prep's Matt Mackrides (Penn State), was selected for the South team, but is playing Saturday for the U.S. in the title game against Canada in the International Lacrosse Federation U-19 World Championship at Coquitlam, British Columbia.
In the girls’ game, Radnor midfielder Kelly Barnes (Georgetown), named a co-Player of the Year by Phillylacrosse.com, will play for the North All-Stars.
The Philly Underclassmen boys’ and girls’ teams will meet Baltimore squads at 9 a.m. on the outside fields while New Jersey’s teams will face the Washington, D.C. teams at 11 a.m. The consolation games will be played at 2 p.m. on the outside fields; the girls' championship will be at 2 p.m. in Johnny Unitas Stadium, followed by the boys' title game. CLICK HERE FOR THE PHILLY ROSTERS.
Founded by Corrigan Sports Enterprises, the UnderArmour event was created as a forum for the elite high school lacrosse players in the country.
Participants in the senior games were chosen on May 22 from some of the best high school lacrosse players in the country. This year, rosters are dotted with players from Florida, Illinois, and Arizona, among those from traditional lax powers like Maryland, New York, Philly and New Jersey. The Philly Underclassmen girls' team was selected after tryouts on June 8 and the boys' team was named after tryouts on June 11-12. | McKinney made the right switch at Notre Dame By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/21
Caitlin McKinney (Germantown Academy) was pleased when she learned she was being shifted from an attack position to midfield for her senior year at Notre Dame.
Clearly, the results were positive.
McKinney capped off a brilliant lacrosse career this season by earning a slew of honors, including first-team Division I All-American and Academic All-American while helping the Fighting Irish (12-7) finish 12th in the nation and qualify for the NCAA tournament.
McKinney collected 38 goals and 25 assists in 2008, earning first-team all-Big East and the league’s Midfielder of the Year honor. She also was a finalist for the Tewaaraton Trophy.
She also was selected to ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA second team All-Academic District Five team and was named the Big East Aeropostale Scholar-Athlete Award winner. A co-captain, she also was named the winner of Notre Dame's Francis Patrick O'Connor Award that goes to the senior student-athlete who best exemplifies the true spirit of Notre Dame.
Last month McKinney enjoyed a special homecoming, representing the North in the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association Senior All-Star Game at the United Sports Training Center in Downingtown. She scored once, but the South prevailed, 11-8.(CONTINUE) Lafayette's Booth had the skills and the smarts By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/18
Maddy Booth (Strath Haven), who capped a brilliant career at Lafayette College by scoring 41 goals and adding 40 assists this season, recently was named to the Patriot League Academic Honor roll for the third straight year.
Booth, an American Studies major, recorded a 3.77 GPA in her final semester on College Hill. The attacker shattered the Patriot League career assists record by 35 and finished her career with 133 assists. She started every game of her collegiate career and is Lafayette’s fourth-highest scorer with 268 points.
Booth finished eighth in the country in Division I this year in points per game (4.76).
Booth led the nation in assists (47) as a sophomore when she earned first-team All-Patriot League honors. She was an All-Patriot League second-team choice as a junior, but received no conference honors this year for Lafayette (2-15 overall, 0-6 in Patriot League).
Leopards' Ruminski posts perfect 4.0
Lafayette junior co-captain Kristin Ruminski (Boyertown) was named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll after posting a 4.0 grade-point average this year.
The Mathematics-Economics major also enjoyed a strong season on the field, starting all 17 games at midfield and finishing as the team’s second-leading scorer with 27 goals and 9 assists. Ruminski also led the team in ground balls (40), draw controls (53) and caused turnovers (14).
Ruminski’s highlight this year was giving the Leopards their first win of the season by scoring 18 seconds into triple-overtime to give Lafayette a 13-12 victory over Villanova on April 12.
Alum Fisher is new coach at Lafayette
Alison Fisher (Hatboro-Horsham), who served as an assistant coach at La Salle this season, has been named the head coach at her alma mater, Lafayette.
Fisher was a three-time Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year at Lafayette and also served there as an assistant coach from 2002-03.
Fisher brings seven years of coaching experience to College Hill. She spent the last year at La Salle where she assisted in coaching, player development and game preparation. The Explorers had two players receive all-conference honors during the 2008 season.
Prior to her stint at La Salle, Fisher spent four years as an assistant coach at Princeton. The Tigers qualified for the NCAA Tournament all four years, reaching the championship game in 2004 and quarterfinals in 2005 and 2006. West Chester grad Timchal building at Navy Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/16
Head coach Cindy Timchal (Haverford High), who guided Maryland to eight national championships from 1992-2001, is continuing to build her new program at Navy.
Timchal recently announced her program will welcome a group of 13 incoming freshmen for the 2009 campaign. The fre shman class consists of players from six states, including six from Maryland, two each from Massachusetts and North Carolina, and one from New York, New Jersey, and Tennessee.
The Class of 2012, Navy's second fully recruited class as a varsity program, figures to factor largely in the Midshipmen's continued rise up the collegiate ranks of Division I women's lacrosse.
Navy made the decision to elevate the team to varsity status in the June of 2006, and kicked off its Division I tenure in impressive fashion, wrapping up its inaugural campaign in 2008 with a 13-4 mark, setting the NCAA record for most wins by a first-year program.
Navy figures to compete for a Patriot League championship next year. The Mids fell to American, 17-15, in the first round of the playoffs this year.
The Mids return another underclassmen-laden squad in 2009, which includes eight of the team's top-10 scorers from the nation's second-highest scoring offense a year ago.
Timchal, who starred in lacrosse at West Chester College in the 1970s even though she did not play it in high school, was an assistant coach at Unionville in 1977 and 1978 and also at Penn under Anne Sage before starting the program at Northwestern in 1982. She was inducted into the West Chester Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.
Timchal – whose seven straight national titles at Maryland is the third all-time mark for consecutive championships for any NCAA sport - was inducted into the Pennsylvania Chapter Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Potomac (Md.) Chapter Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2006. Harvey proud of team's progress at Gar. Valley By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/14
Jim Harvey said he is leaving Garnet Valley with great pride in the program’s recent championships, but even more rewarded with the growth of boys’ lacrosse in the community.
“The last 12 years have absolutely been a great time of my life,” said Harvey, who three weeks ago was told by school officials he was not returning as head coach. “It’s a great community, we had great parental support and the kids would run through a wall for you.
“They worked hard, and there was an understanding between the kids and myself. They knew what I expected from them, and I knew what they expected from me.”
Harvey, who built the program from scratch, posted a 12-year record of 146-82. He won the last four Del-Val League championships (the league has disbanded due to the expansion of the Central League) and recorded a 32-0 league record in that time.
Garnet Valley also won a pigtail game in each of the past four years in the Eastern Pennsylvania Scholastic Lacrosse Association playoffs. In 2008, the Jaguars went 16-7 and finished 13th in the final Phillylacrosse.com boys’ poll. (CONTINUE) Philly earns respect at Underclassmen games By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/13
Haverford School midfielder Stocky Euler believes Philadelphia earned a strong measure of respect Saturday.
Euler and his Philly teammates handily defeated Baltimore, 10-5, and then suffered a 10-9 loss to New Jersey in the finals of the first Under Armour Underclassmen All-Star tournament at Towson University outside Baltimore.
“We came into it knowing that Philly d oesn’t get as much respect as Baltimore and D.C. and it was very exciting to be a part of it,” said Euler, who will be a senior next year. “It was the first (tournament) and it was exciting to represent Philadelphia; and I am speaking for all my teammates.”
In the girls’ tourney, Philadelphia struggled in a first-round loss to Baltimore and then played strong in a one-goal loss to Washington, D.C.
“It was really good to come together as an area and play against other girls form different areas,” said Episcopal Academy rising senior Sammi Arbitman, a midfielder. “We really played well as a team in the second game, our passing was better and our connections were happening.”
In the third annual Under Armour All-American Senior All-Star games, the North boy and girls both defeated the South, 13-12, with last-minute goals. Radnor midfielder and Phillylacrosse.com co-Player of the Year Kelly Barnes (headed to Georgetown) represented Philly on the North team and Penn-bound Erin Brennan (Garden City, N.Y.) won the game with a goal in the final minute.
In the boys’ game, Tim Rommel (Syracuse, N.Y.) scored the game-winner with 57 seconds left to give the North team the win. Also playing for the North was Malvern Prep midfielder Chris Layne (North Carolina), Downingtown East attacker Owen Blye (Maryland), Haverford School defender Peter Borror (Virginia) and La Salle midfielder Conrad Ridgway (Penn State). Layne had an early goal and Ridgway tied the game, 12-12, after a nifty split dodge, while Borror had several key clears and a brilliant check at the end the game to give the North one last shot to tie.
A fifth Philly player, Malvern Prep's Matt Mackrides (Penn State), was selected for the South team, but played Saturday for the U.S. in its 19-12 title game victory over host Canada in the International Lacrosse Federation U-19 World Championships. (CONTINUE) Dolente leads Team USA to 6th U-19 crown, 19-12 Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/13
Matt Dolente (Malvern Prep/Johns Hopkins ‘11) won 19 of 28 face-offs and scored a goal and was named to the All-World team to help the U.S. defeat host Canada, 19-12, Saturday, giving the Americans their sixth consecutive International Lacrosse Federati on (ILF) U-19 World Championship.
The game was played before a crowd of 3,400 fans at Percy Perry Stadium in Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada
The U.S. finished 7-0 in the tournament and extended its all-time record in international competition to 36-0, dating back to the championships’ inception in 1988.
Dolente was named the tourney’s Most Outstanding Midfielder. Also on the team from Philadelphia were midfielders Matt Mackrides (Malvern Prep, Penn State ’12) and James Green (Central Bucks East/Ohio State ’10) and defender John Lade (Randolph, N.J./Villanova ’12). Haverford School coach John Nostrant was an assistant.
Team captain Craig Dowd (East Northport, N.Y./Northport HS/Georgetown ’10), Dean Gibbons (Garden City, N.Y./Garden City HS/Harvard ’11), and Nick Elsmo (Edgewater, Md/Severn HS/Virginia ’11) led the Americans with three goals each..
“It was a lot of pressure. You try not to talk about it, but there is that pressure to win,” said U.S. head coach Chuck Apel. “But the kids had a pretty good handle on it. It’s still lacrosse, and they’ve all played for a thousand years. It’s what they do best.”
Team USA built a 7-3 first-quarter lead behind a series of extraordinary individual efforts, including two unassisted goals by Dowd. Six of the Americans’ first seven goals were unassisted. (CONTINUE) |