No. 11 Spider Lacrosse Ready For NCAA Championships
05/12/2006 | Women's Lacrosse
May 12, 2006
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - The 11th ranked University of Richmond women's lacrosse team is set to compete in its second-straight NCAA Championship on Sunday when it faces James Madison at 1:00 p.m. in Harrisonburg, Va. The Spiders earned the league's automatic berth when it captured the 2006 Atlantic 10 Championship just last Sunday.
"We are extremely thrilled to represent the Atlantic 10 in the NCAA tournament again this year," stated head coach Sue Murphy. "The team is excited about the opportunity to play James Madison in the first round. We do not play them in regular season so this is sure to be a great game! "
The Spiders, now 16-3 on the season, are currently in the midst of their best season yet, with a program best 16 wins, an A-10 regular season title, an 11-game win streak earlier in the season, a five-week stint in the Top 10, and their second-straight A-10 Championship.
Senior Caroline McGuire, the A-10 Championships Most Outstanding Performer, as well as a recent Inside Lacrosse Honorable Mention, leads the Spiders in goals with 57 goals, while sisters Mandy and Ashley Friend follow with 51 and 47, respectively.
The No. 13 Dukes, currently 14-4, have won nine of their last 10 contests and just captured their third CAA title in the last four years to qualify for the NCAA's for the eighth time in the last ten years. Kelly Berger, the 2006 CAA Player of the Year, leads the Dukes in scoring with 55 goals.
The Spiders and the Dukes last played in 2001 when the Dukes defeated the Spiders 12-10 in Harrisonburg.
"Monday was a fun night watching the NCAA Selection Show together and awaiting our name to appear on the bracket. The team is pumped to play JMU!"
Richmond and JMU are just two of only 16 teams competing for the national championships. The winner between the JMU-Richmond battle will advance to play the winner of Sunday's first-round contest between top-seeded Duke and Holy Cross. Quarterfinal-round games are scheduled for Saturday, May 20.