April 24, 2002

VILLANOVA, Pa. --- On Saturday, April 27, the Villanova Wildcats women's lacrosse team will begin the search for their first Patriot League championship and a trip to the NCAA tournament when they meet second seeded American in the semi-final round of the Patriot League tournament. The two-day tournament will begin at 11 a.m. when top-seeded Lafayette will face off against fourth-seeded Colgate. The #3 ranked Wildcats will play at 1:00 p.m. on the turf at Rappolt Field at Lafayette College's Metzgar Athletic Complex.

The Wildcats, which were upset in the 2001 Patriot League Tournament by third-seeded Holy Cross, will get a second shot at the title in 2002. The 'Cats are led by a trio of midfielders in tri-captains Meghan Carolan (Hicksville, N.Y/Hicksville), Sarah DePeters (Rochester, N.Y./Irondequoit) and Cecily Pierce (New Canaan, Conn./New Canaan). Carolan, who was named the April 21 Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week, leads the league in goals (45), points per game (3.75) and draw controls (46). In the latest NCAA rankings, Carolan is 18th in goals, 23rd in points and 9th in draw controls. She has also recorded a team-high 18 assists, which ranks sixth in league play.

DePeters, one of two seniors on the Wildcat squad, is second on the team in goals (28), points (37) and ranks among the league leaders while leading the 'Cats in ground balls (4.21) and caused turnovers (1.86) per game. She also ranks seventh nationally in ground balls with 64. Pierce, another four-year letterwinner, has contributed 19 goals and nine assists on the year while adding 55 groundballs and 24 draw controls.

The Championship match will be played on Sunday beginning at 1:00 p.m. For the first time ever, the Patriot League tournament champion will be awarded an automatic berth to compete in the NCAA Tournament, which begins May 9.