UAlbany women's lacrosse upends UMass Lowell, clinching spot in conference championship game

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Seven different Great Danes scored in Friday's America East women's lacrosse tournament semifinal game, as top-seeded and tournament-host UAlbany outlasted fourth-seeded UMass Lowell, 12-11, to advance to the America East title game for the 13th straight season.

Key Stats

• Ava Poupard scored three goals and added one assist
• Grace Cincebox recorded eight saves
• Megan Dineen and Mikaela Mooney each scored twice with one assist
• Bryar Hogg scored two goals
• Grace McCauley, Allie Maloney, and Emma Weaver each scored once
• Haley Phalines recorded her 200th career draw control.
• Two River Hawks recorded hat tricks
• UMass Lowell outshot UAlbany 41-33 overall, including 14-4 in the fourth quarter
• UMass Lowell outdrew UAlbany 15-11

Head Coach Katie Thomson: "What a great team effort.  We're really proud of how resilient we were against a really strong UMass Lowell team.  They are really well-coached, and they never gave up.  We're really proud of our team for staying the course and executing throughout and staying composed even when UMass Lowell went on a couple of runs throughout."

How it Happened

• The University at Albany opened the 2024 America East Tournament at home, having locked up hosting privileges for the third-straight season.  This year, their opponent was No. 4 UMass Lowell, making their first-ever appearance in the postseason after winning 12 games in the regular season.
• UAlbany hosted UMass Lowell on April 20, the team's senior day, and defeated the River Hawks 10-7.  The score in that game was tied at halftime before UAlbany netted four goals in the third quarter to take the lead for good, while the Great Danes' defense allowed just two River Hawks' goals following the break, their first of three such defensive efforts to close the 2024 regular season.
• Katie Pascale started her first game on Friday since suffering an injury in that previous game against UMass Lowell and missing the final two games of the regular season.  Within the first minute, after UMass Lowell scored in the first 31 seconds, Pascale make her presence felt, setting up Ava Poupard for UAlbany's first goal of the game.
• UMass Lowell scored each of the next two goals to take a 3-1 lead with 8:46 remaining in the first quarter.  Emma Weaver interrupted the River Hawks' mini run with a score 50 seconds later, but UMass Lowell responded in kind 63 second after Weaver's goal to maintain their two-goal advantage heading into the second quarter.
• Poupard scored with 12:43 remaining in the second, kicking off a four-goal run for the Great Danes lasting nearly the entirety of the quarter.  UMass Lowell's Audra Hansen scored with five seconds on the clock to prevent the River Hawks from being shut out in the period.
• Neither team scored again until Hansen found the back of the net with 4:15 remaining in the third to cut the River Hawks' deficit to just one, but Grace McCauley scored her lone goal of the game with 23 seconds left on the clock to put UAlbany up 8-6 heading into the final frame.
• Following the slower third quarter, the two teams combined for nine total goals in the fourth.  They traded each of the quarter's first four goals until UAlbany scored two-straight just 66 seconds apart from Poupard and Bryar Hogg.  With 5:38 remaining, UMass Lowell's Jade Catlin scored to close the River Hawks within two.
• Mikaela Mooney scored UAlbany's final goal of the afternoon with 2:53 remaining to give the Great Danes a 12-9 lead.  UMass Lowell struck back 33 seconds later, and closed within one with 54 seconds remaining off a goal from 2024 America East Rookie of the Year Chloe Bowers.
• Jill Alberici lined up to take the ensuing draw and directed the ball high and into the stick of Mikaela Mooney to give UAlbany possession with the ability to close out the remainder of the game.  The Great Danes held on to win by one, 12-11.
• Poupard led all scorers with four total points on three goals and one assist, while Mooney and Megan Dineen each scored twice with one assist.  Hogg finished with two goals, and Weaver, McCauley, and Allie Maloney each added one goal.  In cage, Cincebox recorded her eighth victory of the season, making eight saves.  Haley Phalines finished with six draws, surpassing 200 for her career. 

Next: UAlbany hosts the 2024 America East title game on Sunday, May 5 at 10:00 am on ESPNU.