UMBC

BALTIMORE—The UMBC women’s lacrosse team today announced its 2008 schedule, which is highlighted by five games against teams that advanced to the 2007 NCAA Tournament. The Retrievers will play 10 home games, including the season opener against Colonial Athletic Association champion Hofstra on Feb. 17.

“I’m excited about the high level of competition we will face this season,” third-year head coach Courtney Connor said. “I look forward to UMBC moving up the ranks this year.”

Before the season begins, the Retrievers will host 2007 Final Four team Pennsylvania in an exhibition on Feb. 9. After the season opener against Hofstra, UMBC will welcome another NCAA Tournament team, Vanderbilt, to UMBC Stadium on Feb. 22.

The Retrievers also close out the regular season against three NCAA Tournament teams in preparation for the America East Championships, with all three games at home. Cross-town rival and 2007 NCAA quarterfinalist Johns Hopkins visits UMBC Stadium on April 9, followed by Yale on April 13 and three-time defending America East champion Boston University on April 19.

All six teams were ranked in the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) poll at some point during the season, with Penn (2), Johns Hopkins (8), Vanderbilt (10), Yale (11) and Hofstra (16) all finishing the year ranked in the top 20. Boston U. also received votes in the final poll.

In addition to Johns Hopkins, the Retrievers will also face off with local rivals Loyola (Feb. 26, UMBC), Towson (March 15, Towson) and Howard (April 5, UMBC) and will take on perennial foes Old Dominion (March 8, Norfolk, Va.) and Delaware (March 10, Newark, Del.). The Blue Hens were ranked 20th in the IWLCA poll for three weeks in April. UMBC will also face California-Berkley for the first time since 2003.

The America East Conference schedule begins Feb. 29 at Binghamton, while the league home opener is March 4 against Vermont. Albany (March 26) and Boston U. (April 19/Senior Day) will also visit UMBC Stadium, while the Retrievers travel to New Hampshire (March 22) and Stony Brook (April 2).

The top four teams in the conference advance to the America East Championships, which are April 25-27 at the home field of the No. 1 seed. Last season’s field included No. 1 Stony Brook, No. 2 Boston U., No. 3 New Hampshire and No. 4 Albany.

The Retrievers will look to get back to the America East Championships in 2008 after missing the conference tournament last season for the first time since joining the league in 2004. The Retrievers return five of their top seven scorers from 2007, as well as three players who earned all-conference recognition in senior defender Maggie Chizmar (Bel Air, Md./Bel Air), a first-team selection, senior attack Ali Levendusky (Baldwin, Md./John Carroll), a second-team pick, and sophomore midfielder Kelly Burgoyne (Sykesville, Md./Century), an all-rookie team honoree.