UMBC

BALTIMORE—UMBC head women’s lacrosse coach Kelly Berger today announced the Retrievers’ 2010 schedule, which is highlighted by three games against teams that advanced to the 2009 NCAA Tournament.

The Retrievers open the season at Jacksonville, the inaugural game for the Dolphins’ program, on Feb. 6. UMBC will then play at regional foe George Mason on Feb. 13, facing the Patriots for the first time since 2001.

The Retrievers host cross-town rival Loyola in their home opener at UMBC Stadium on Feb. 23, then take on a pair of 2009 NCAA Tournament participants in Vanderbilt (Feb. 27, UMBC) and Towson (March 3, Towson, Md.).

Other non-conference games include a first-ever matchup against Fresno State (March 5, UMBC) and a contest against former Northeast Conference rival Monmouth (March 10, UMBC), as well as American (March 17, UMBC), Delaware (March 21, Newark, Del.) and Manhattan (March 29).

The Retrievers open their America East Conference slate at Stony Brook on March 27, and will also face New Hampshire (April 3) and Binghamton (May 1) on the road. UMBC will host league games against Vermont (April 7), five-time defending champion Boston University (April 10) and Albany (April 18) in consecutive games.

The top four teams in the conference advance to the America East Championships, which are May 6-9 at the home field of the No. 1 seed.

Retrievers Name Captains: Seniors Rachel Pincus, Kate Quick and Sarah Willis and junior Meagan Linkous have been named captains for the 2010 season, Berger announced today, as well.

Quick and Willis were both America East All-Conference honorees last season. Quick was also a team captain in 2009, when she led the America East with a .483 save percentage, while Willis led the Retrievers with 32 ground balls, as the pair anchored a defense that ranked second in the conference with a 9.88 goals-against average. Linkous was an All-Rookie selection in 2008, and Pincus scored a career-high six points last season.