April 4, 2007

Sacred Heart vs. Wagner Game Notes in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

Sacred Heart Pioneers (3-6, 1-3 NEC) vs. Wagner Seahawks (2-6, 1-2 NEC)

Thursday, April 5, 2007 - 3:00 pm - Fairfield, Connecticut - Campus Field (4,000)

Pioneers Host Wagner in Key NEC Match-Up... The Sacred Heart women's lacrosse team plays host to the Wagner Seahawks Thursday afternoon looking to snap a three-game slide in Northeast Conference play as the heart of the conference schedule heats up. The Pioneers lost at Monmouth, 11-8, and Mount St. Mary's, 9-5, last weekend. The Seahawks are in off a 13-10 win over Long Island last time out.

The Series... Sacred Heart leads the all-time series 6-3. The Pioneers traveled to Staten Island last season and picked up a 17-8 win over Wagner. Prior to last year's win, the Seahawks had won three of the previous four meetings. SHU won the first-ever meeting between the two schools back on April 4, 1999, a 15-11 decision at home.

Up Next... Sacred Heart will wrap-up the non-conference portion of their schedule on Tuesday, April 10th when they travel to Marist for a 4:00 pm game. SHU returns to NEC play on Friday, April 13th at Quinnipiac..

Last Meeting with Wagner... Sacred Heart scored 12 times in the second half to blow open a 5-4 game at the half as the Pioneers picked up their second NEC win of the year, 17-8, at Wagner on March 31st last season. Junior Brianna Bubeck led the Pioneer charge, scoring four of her season-high five goals in the second half. Wagner struck first and built themselves a 3-1 lead 10 minutes through the first quarter. The Pioneers answered with a three goal jaunt after almost eight minutes of scoreless action. The second half was all Pioneers as the SHU opened with three goals in the first minute and three seconds of action. The Pioneers rattled off five-straight in a five-minute span starting at 22:32 and ending with a Bubeck marker at 17:23 to put the Pioneers up nine, 14-5. The Seahawks tried to claw back in with three-straight goals, but Sacred Heart scored the final three of the game and shut out Wagner over the final 12 minutes to seal the victory. Senior Candice Celebre was stellar in goal, making 14 saves, including eight in the first half, to earn the victory in the cage. The Pioneers made the most of their 17 second half shots, scoring on 12. Wagner converted just 2 of 10 free position shots.

Scouting the Seahawks... The Wagner Seahawks snapped a four-game losing streak by beating Long Island, 13-10, last time out. The Seahawks are 1-2 in NEC play, losing to Monmouth and the Mount. Cara Gonzalez is the team's leading scorer with 11 goals and 11 assists for 22 points. Her 11 assists is 4th in the NEC rankings. Kelly Blundin is the team leader in goals scored with 15 on the year while Jessica Ellis also has double digit goals with 12 on the year. In goal, Alex Johnston and Amy Jones have split time. Johnston has a 13.18 goals against average with 69 saves while Jones has a 13.84 goals against with 36 saves.

Wagner Named NEC Rookie of the Week... Sacred Heart freshman Chelsea Wagner was named the Northeast Conference Women's Lacrosse Rookie of the Week by the league office Monday afternoon. Wagner recorded 43 saves in three games last week. She came up with a career-high 15 saves in helping the Pioneers to a 12-11 overtime win at Lafayette, and then eclipsed that mark with 17 saves on Friday at Monmouth. She finished the week with 11 saves at the Mount on Sunday. In addition to her stick work, Wagner picked up five grounders against both Lafayette and the Mount.

SHU Among the Nation's Stat Leaders... Senior Brianna Bubeck is 7th in the country in draw wins at 32 (3.56 per game). Bubeck is tied for 23rd in goals per game (3.11). Freshman Chelsea Wagner is 17th in the nation in save percentage at .506 (83 saves). Wagner's 17 saves against Monmouth ranks 14th for the most saves in a game by a player this season. Senior Maureen Hohn is tied for 27th in caused turnovers per game at 1.78 (16).

Pioneers in the NEC Stat Rankings... The Pioneers are among the conference leaders offensively and defensively. SHU is 4th in the NEC in goals per game (10.22) and 3rd in shots per game (26.33). Defensively, the Pioneers ranked 4th in caused turnovers (9.22) and 4th in goals against (11.09). Senior Brianna Bubeck is 3rd in the NEC in goals per game (3.11) and 4th in points per game (3.67). She is 4th in shots per game (7.22).

History... This is the Pioneer's ninth year of competition in the Northeast Conference. Sacred Heart has qualified for the NEC Tournament five times and posts a 84-70 Division I record. The Pioneers have posted 10 wins three times and have not had a losing season since 1998.