MARCY, N.Y. – The SUNY Poly Women's Lacrosse Team (13-3, 8-1 NEAC) drew Farleigh Dickinson University-Florham out of the MAC Freedom Conference for the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Devils are 13-6 overall and are coming off of their second-straight conference championship.
FDU earned their back-to-back NCAA bid after defeating Misericordia University in the MAC Freedom Conference Championship. The Devils are riding a 10-game win streak and are looking to win their second-straight first round NCAA game. FDU-Florham has had a fantastic season led by Head Coach Adrienne Carr including seven all-conference selections and a clean sweep of the highest awards.
Carr was selected as Coach of the Year while three of her players picked up the top honors in their respective categories. Freshman goalie Megan Nemeth was selected as the Rookie of the Year after posting a .562 save percentage along with a 6.76 goals against average. Junior Brienna Reasoner was selected as the Defensive Player of the Year while Brianna Capobianco was picked as the Offensive Player of the Year.
Reasoner led her team with 59 ground balls, 53 draw controls, and 43 caused turnovers while adding 42 goals. Capobianco had 36 goals and 12 assists on the year for a total of 48 points. Joelle Manganella also stands out in the mix with a team-leading 63 points and 44 goals.
SUNY Poly is also coming off a standout year after winning their first NEAC Championship in program history. The Wildcats were led by NEAC Coach of the Year, Erin Schurr, en route to the best season in program history. Boasting a program-best 13 wins, SUNY Poly saw six players earn all-conference honors, with five selected to the first team. Headlining was Krysta Beha (Marcy, N.Y.) as she was picked as Offensive Player of the Year.
Beha played a critical role in the Wildcat offense, currently leading the team with 55 goals and recording a second-best 26 assists and 81 points. She will be joined by Carthage natives, Mari Ames (West Carthage, N.Y.) and Meghan Serota (Black River, N.Y.) as the trio looks to continue to lead the offense. Ames led the team in points (82) and assists (38) and a third-best 44 goals. Serota is second in goals with 47 and third in points with 61.
The defense looks to be led by seniors Tierney McGlynn (Watervliet, N.Y.) and Erica Maisonet (Walkill, N.Y.) who have combined for 78 ground balls and 54 caused turnovers. The Wildcats also look to second-year Hope Cerasuolo (Johnstown, N.Y.) who has a team-high 43 caused turnovers and tops the defense with 56 ground balls and 53 draw controls. Anchoring it all is sophomore goalie Megan Will (Remsen, N.Y.); the second-team selection currently holds a 5.71 goals against average and holds a winning percentage of 80.
The Wildcats lead the conference in goals (221), assists (106), goals per game (13.81), goals against (94), and goals against average (5.86). SUNY Poly also ranks eighth in the nation in scoring defense.
FDU-Florham and SUNY Poly will square off this Satuday, May 14th at 1:00 pm. The game will take place at Middlebury College on Kohn Field. The winner of Saturday's matchup will advance to the second-round and take on host Middlebury College on Sunday at 1:00.