UMBC

Junior midfielder Amanda pappas posted a career-high five points on four goals and an assist in the season opener.

BALTIMORE—Coming off a season-opening 18-2 rout of Jacksonville last weekend, the UMBC women’s lacrosse team travels to Fairfax, Va., Tuesday to take on George Mason at 5 p.m. The game was originally scheduled for Saturday but was postponed due to unplayable field conditions as a result of the snowstorm that blanketed Northern Virginia last week.

Last Time Out: Junior attack Erika Braerman (Fallston, Md./Fallston) scored a career-high six points on four goals and two assists to lead the Retrievers to an 18-2 victory over Jacksonville on Feb. 6. The game marked Kelly Berger’s head coaching debut. Junior midfielder Amanda Pappas (Pasadena, Md./Chesapeake) also posted a career high with five points on four goals and an assist, while sophomore attack Alicia Krause (Ellicott City, Md./Mount Hebron/Duquesne) notched a hat trick in her first game at UMBC. In all, eight different Retrievers found the back of the net against the Dolphins. Senior goalie Kate Quick (Phoenix, Md./Maryvale Prep) picked up where she left off from her first-team all-conference 2009 campaign, recording eight saves and allowing just two goals.

On the Patriots: Tuesday’s game marks the season opener for George Mason, which is coming off a 6-10 season in 2009. Picked to finish seventh in the Colonial Athletic Association preseason poll, the Patriots will be led by junior attack Madalyn Jamison, a second-team all-conference selection last season after leading her team in goals (29), assists (30) and points (59).

Inside the Series: The all-time series between UMBC and George Mason is tied, 4-4, but the teams have not met since March 11, 2001, a 13-11 double-overtime victory for the host Retrievers.

Braerman, Cox Honored: Braerman was tabbed America East Player of the Week and freshman midfielder Lindsay Cox (High Bridge, N.J./Voorhees) earned Rookie of the Week honors on Monday for their performances against Jacksonville. Braerman tallied a career-high six points on four goals and two assists, marking her first career hat trick, while Cox recorded her first collegiate point with an assist against the Dolphins and also added two ground balls, two draw controls and a caused turnover.

Taking on the Best: UMBC will face four teams that were ranked in the top 20 that were ranked in the top 20 in the most recent IWLCA coaches’ poll, including No. 11 Vanderbilt (Feb. 27), No. 12 Boston University (April 10), No. 14 Loyola (Feb. 23) and No. 17 Towson (March 3). In addition, New Hampshire (April 3) is receiving votes in the poll.

Retrievers Picked Fifth: UMBC was predicted to finish fifth in the America East standings, according to a vote of the league’s head coaches. The Retrievers received 19 points in the America East Preseason Coaches’ Poll. Five-time defending champion Boston University is the unanimous preseason favorite to win its sixth straight league title. The Terriers received all six possible first-place votes and 36 total points to distance themselves from second-place New Hampshire, which received 29 points. The final first-place vote went to Vermont, which finished third in the poll with 23 points, tied with Albany. UMBC (19), Stony Brook (10) and Binghamton (7) round out the seven-team poll. The top four teams in the conference will advance to the America East Championships may 6-8. The Retrievers look to return to the league tournament for the first time since 2006.

Back in the Mix: The Retrievers return nearly 70 percent of an offense that scored 199 goals in 2009, the most goals scored by a UMBC team since 2006. Pappas is the Retrievers’ top returning scorer with 28 goals and 37 points a year ago, while sophomore attack Emily Coady (Westminster, Md./Westminster) earned America East All-Rookie honors after posting 35 points on 22 goals and 13 assists. Also back is Second-Team All-Conference midfielder Ashley Stodter (Silver Spring, Md./Good Counsel), whose breakout sophomore campaign resulted in 25 goals and 28 points. On the other end of the field, Quick was tabbed the conference’s top goalie with a 10.35 goals-against average and a league-best .483 save percentage.