University of Richmond Athletics
Spiders WLAX Seeks Fourth A-10 Title Sunday
05/04/2014 | Women's Lacrosse
Richmond women's lacrosse will attempt to make it a pair of lacrosse NCAA teams into the NCAA tournament when it clashes with Massachusetts in the 2014 Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament Championship, at Robins Stadium. The opening draw is scheduled for 1 p.m.
The Spiders get a second crack at the Minutewomen, after the two teams played to a 9-8 result at Robins Stadium on April 19. The game was tied at eight in the late stages until UM's Sam Rush scored a goal with 3:27 in regulation for the closest margin of victory this season for the 13th-ranked squad.
Massachusetts enters with a 17-1 overall mark after a perfect 7-0 sweep through the league in the regular season. Richmond, the two-seed, is 11-6, finishing the league with a 5-2 record. UM defeated fourth-seeded Duquesne 16-3, while the Spiders ousted third-ranked La Salle 8-4 in semifinal action Friday.
Massachusetts has won five-straight A-10 Tournaments and 39 consecutive games against A-10 opponents, though Richmond has lost three of its last four meetings to UM by one goal, with two of those going to double overtime.
Richmond's Emily Doyle (Ho-Ho-Kus, N.J.) set a new personal best for assists in a season by collecting two on Friday. She needs four more to set the school's single-season record for assists, which currently stands at 36. That total would also put her in a three-way tie for second all-time for a career with 76 helpers.
Senior Taylor Blazer (Berlin, Md.) has led a stingy defense that held an opponent to five or fewer goals five times this season. Blazer has collected 26 caused turnovers and 46 ground balls this season. She has been important on the draw as well, leading the team by controlling 61 of them this season. If she is able to win four draws Sunday, she will tie the all time single-season mark.
Massachusetts and Richmond were the top two defenses in the league this season, with Rush leading the league in goals per game and Blazer leading in ground balls and draws.
The Minutewomen are looking for their seventh tournament championship, and Richmond seeks its fourth, and first since 2007, the last season in which the Spiders collected 11 wins.
The winner will take the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, and find out its playoff location and time Sunday night on the NCAA Women's Lacrosse Selection Show, at 9 p.m. on NCAA.com
