March 23, 2012
Patriot League Women's Lacrosse Release - 3.23.12 
Center Valley, Pa. -- With Navy going out of the Patriot League for its action over the weekend, four teams will try to match the Mids with a second Patriot League victory when they take the field on Saturday.
Holy Cross has a chance to match the Mids with a 2-0 Patriot League record when it visits Colgate, which is one of three teams a game off the pace at 1-1 in the Patriot League.
American and Lehigh are also at 1-1 in Patriot League play, and will face an opponent that is trying to earn its first League victory on Saturday. The Eagles pay a visit to Bucknell in the afternoon, while the Mountain Hawks welcome Lafayette to Bethlehem in the evening.
Navy will play a non-League contest on Sunday, and it's a big one for a team that has won a school-record 10 consecutive games. The Mids head to the midwest to take on Northwestern, which is the consensus No. 1 team in the country in this week's IWLCA Coaches Poll.
The Eagles, Mountain Hawks and Mids all posted League wins last Saturday. American had the toughest challenge, rallying late and beating Colgate 19-18 on a goal by Lauren Schoenberger with less than a second to go. Lehigh earned its first League victory with a 17-9 triumph at Bucknell, while Navy continued to roll with an 18-7 win at Lafayette.
Patriot League teams have combined to win 10 of the last 14 non-League contests, with the run bringing the seven teams to a cumulative 27-27 record against non-League opposition this season. Navy goes for the first win for a Patriot League team over a ranked opponent when it visits Northwestern on Sunday.
Patriot League Notebook
Timchal Continues to Earn Accolades
It's been quite a month for Navy Head Coach Cindy Timchal. Last week, the vetern head coach became the first in either gender to reach 400 career wins. On Thursday, she added more acclaim as of 24 finalists on the 2012 National Lacrosse Hall of Fame men's and women's ballots. From these ballots, the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame men's and women's voting committees will select the 2012 induction class. US Lacrosse will announce the inductees prior to Memorial Day weekend. And it's all come during a memorable season for Navy, which has won a school-record 10 consecutive games heading into a showdown at No. 1 Northwestern on Sunday.
All That Jas
A big part of Navy's success has come from the play of junior attack Jasmine DePompeo, who is living up to her billing as the Patriot League Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. DePompeo leads the Patriot League by a wide margin with 46 points, and her 25 assists are 11 ahead of the next-closest player on the leaderboard. In addition to earning the League's Preseason Offensive Player of the Year honor, DePompeo has been named to the 2012 Tewaaraton Award Watch List. She is one of 53 women's lacrosse players on the initial list for the Tewaaraton Award, which is given annually to the best men's and women's college lacrosse player in the nation. DePompeo was the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year and Tournament MVP as a sophomore in 2011.
Who Will Get Win No. 2?
Navy has jumped out to the early lead in the Patriot League race, but four teams can tie the Mids in the win column on Saturday. Holy Cross aims for a 2-0 start when it visits Colgate, while the Raiders, American and Lehigh all have a chance to get to 2-1 in the Patriot League.
Non-League Success
Patriot League teams have done an outstanding job in their non-League outings of late, and it's brought the seven teams to a combined 27-27 for the season against non-League competition. League squads have won 10 of the last 14 non-League games since March 12, which includes 2-0 marks for Navy, Lafayette, Bucknell and Holy Cross.
Patriot League Head Coaches Discuss 2012 Season
All seven Patriot League head coaches conducted brief audio interviews heading into the 2012 season. The audio clips are available at www.patriotleague.org at the women's lacrosse home page, and also through Patriot League All-Access and the League's Youtube page.
American/Navy to be Broadcast on CBS Sports Network
The Patriot League will have a national appearance on CBS Sports Network when American visits Navy on April 13 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. It will be one year to the day of an outstanding matchup from last season when the Mids held on for an 11-10 win over the Eagles at American.
Patriot League Women's Lacrosse Weekly Awards (March 12-18)
Offensive Player of the Week
KIMBERLY COLLINS, AMERICAN Jr., A, Princeton Junction, N.J.
Collins had a huge week as American played a ranked opponent and then earned a critical Patriot League win in dramatic fashion over Colgate. She racked up three goals and a career-high four assists as the Eagles fell 19-11 to No. 19 Massachusetts on Tuesday. Collins tied a career-high with five goals and added an assist in American's 19-18 win over Colgate on Saturday, and came through when it mattered most. She tied the score at 18-18 with 2:48 left to set the Eagles up to win in the final moments. She also had a career-high four ground balls in the game. Collins earns the Offensive Player of the Week award for the second time this season.
Midfield Player of the Week
SARA HENNESSEY, HOLY CROSS So., M, Winchester, Mass.
Hennessey led the Crusaders to a pair of wins with eight goals last week while also filling the stat sheet with a combined three ground balls, nine draw controls and four caused turnovers in victories over Brown and Sacred Heart. She had two goals and four draw controls in an 11-10 win over Brown on Tuesday, with the second tally with 3:42 remaining serving as the game-winner. Hennessey followed that up with six goals in an 15-12 win over Sacred Heart on Sunday. It was the most goals for a Holy Cross player since Kristine Corkum scored six in an 18-11 victory versus Boston College on March 14, 2007. She also had a team-best five draw controls and three caused turnovers in a great all-around effort.
Defensive Player of the Week
KIERSTIN KING, NAVY Sr., D, Upperco, Md.
King led a dominant week on defense for the Mids, as Navy allowed only 20 total goals in lopsided wins over Old Dominion, Iona and Lafayette. King organized the Navy defense as the Mids gave action to five different goalies last week. She also added a goal and two assists in the 19-5 win over Old Dominion on Wednesday, her first three-point game since playing midfield in 2009.
Rookie of the Week
CARLA SUKONIK, LEHIGH Fr., A, Penn Valley, Pa.
Sukonik totaled 12 goals in two victories for the Mountain Hawks last week, including eight in a 17-10 triumph over Binghamton on Wednesday. The eight goals were the most by a Lehigh player since Lauren Dykstra had eight on March 21, 2009 against American. Sukonik followed that up with four goals and an assist in a 17-9 win over Bucknell on Saturday, while also tallying seven draw controls in the game. The freshman leads the Mountain Hawks with 20 goals, 23 points and 29 draw controls for the season. She earns the Rookie of the Week award for the second time.
Honorable Mentions
KATHY YOUNG, NAVY Jr., M, Berwyn, Pa.
Young totaled 12 goals, four ground balls, six draw controls and four caused turnovers in three wins for the Mids.
LOREN GENERI, NAVY So., M, Reisterstown, Md.
Generi had 11 goals, three assists and 18 draw controls in three wins for the Mids last week.
JULIE McBRIEN, LEHIGH So., M, Reisterstown, Md.
McBrien had five goals, an assist, four draw controls and four caused turnovers as Lehigh won a pair of games.
