NCAA Tournament Dreams of UAlbany Lacrosse and Softball End on Sunday
Lacrosse bows out in overtime to Notre Dame, 14-13, in quarterfinals; Softball tops Utah Valley 4-3 early but loses evening matchup with Wisconsin 8-4 to bow out in regionals.
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In a battle of Tewaaraton Trophy finalists, Lyle Thompson scored three goals and had five assists as the Great Danes defeated Defenseman Joe Fletcher and top-ranked Loyola in the first round of the NCAAs.
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ALBANY, N.Y. (May 17, 2014) -- Both UAlbany softball and lacrosse displayed tremendous fight in their NCAA tournament appearances this weekend, but came out on the losing end.
A week after toppling top-ranked Loyola Univerisity, the UAlbany men’s lacrosse team saw its season end today in a heartbreaker, falling in the quarterfinals in overtime, 14-13, to the University of Notre Dame in Hempstead.
Softball's season also came to a close on Sunday in Eugene, Ore. After losing its opening game to the University of Wisconsin, 1-0, the Danes bounced back in the early afternoon on Sunday with a 4-3 win versus Utah Valley University. But after getting off to a 4-0 lead after three innings in the nightcap with Wisconsin, the Danes' offense and pitching faded, Wisconsin scoring four in the last inning for an 8-4 win.
It was, however, a season to be proud of for both squads.
Men's Lacrosse Earns NCAA Victory
Tasked with taking on topped-ranked Loyola on the road on May 10, the UAlbany men’s lacrosse team put its strongest defensive performance of the year together to shut down the No. 3 seed 13-6 to move on to the NCAA quarterfinals. The win set up today's epic battle with the University of Notre Dame.
UAlbany (12-5) allowed just six goals,to Loyola (15-2), its lowest goal-mark of the year after giving up seven goals in wins over Stony Brook and Binghamton. Blaze Riorden had 13 saves in the cage did not allow more than two goals in any quarter on Saturday.
"When you get to championship play, you need good defense," said UAlbany head coach Scott Marr after topping Loyola. "Blaze was outstanding today, and I am proud of our team for preparing this week and playing well."
On the offensive end, the Thompson brothers, each Tewaaraton finalists, continued to set records. Lyle Thompson extended his Divsion I single season record in points with 122, earning three goals and five assists. He added 6 more on three goals and three assists against Notre Dame, to finish with 128 for the year.
Miles Thompson is second on that best-season list with 119 after scoring five goals and two assists versus Loyola and four more, on three goals and an assist, against Notre Dame. He finished with an NCAA-tying seasonal mark of 82 goals.
The brothers' exploits on the field along with their cousin Ty, has led to national profiles by the New York Times and Associated Press. In spite of the year's added scrutiny, the Thompsons remained focused on helping their team win a second consecutive America East title, followed by only the second NCAA victory in the program's history.
Softball Team Wins America East Championship
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The UAlbany softball team captured its fifth America East title and earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament by defeating top-seeded Stony Brook twice on Sunday.
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UAlbany softball earned its bid to the NCAAs in thrilling fashion. On May 11, the Danes used a home run in the bottom of the 10th inning to defeat Stony Brook and stay alive in the two-out-of-three final, before dominating the second game en route to their fifth America East championship and a berth in the Tournament. It was UAlbany's first AE conference championship since 2011. The Great Danes defeated Stony Brook twice in the championship round of the double-elimination tournament, 3-2 and 8-1.
UAlbany had lost to the Seawolves 9-0 on May 9, but the Great Danes came back to defeat Binghamton 5-2 on Saturday in the losers bracket to advance to the championship round against the regular-season champion. Catcher Elizabeth Snow forced a second game when she drilled a three-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning to lift UAlbany to the one-run win.
Brittany MacFawn (19-6) threw all 17 innings on Sunday, scattered 15 hits and struck out seven batters. UAlbany moved to 33-11 on the season, with the America East title win, and finishes the season 34-13.
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