5.2.2012

NLC Tournament Headquarters

FARMVILLE, Va. – Longwood University will be competing in the 2012 National Lacrosse Conference (NLC) Tournament May 4-6 on the campus of Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina. All eight NLC teams are represented and will square off in four quarterfinal games on Friday. The Lancers enter the conference postseason as the No. 5 seed and will play No. 4 Davidson on Friday, May 4, at 2 p.m., at Richardson Stadium. If Longwood wins its opening game against the Wildcats, it will face the winner of the #1 seed High Point University vs. #8 Howard University on Saturday, May 5, at 11:30 a.m. in the semifinals. If the Lancers fall, they will face the loser of that same match at 9 a.m. instead. The championship contest is set for Sunday, May 6, at 1 p.m.

The Lancers finished the regular season 3-12 overall with a 3-4 mark in league action, winning their most-recent conference game at home against Liberty University 13-12, which snapped a three-game losing streak and concluded regular season play. The squad is led offensively by junior Jamie Brentlinger|Gambrills, Md. (Arundel) who is the team leader in goals (32) and tied for most points (34) while adding two assists. Senior captain Jessica Rudloff|West Chester, Pa. (West Chester East) is tied with Brentlinger for the most points and not far behind in goals as she has tallied the second most (28) and added six assists. Brentlinger also leads the team with seven free position attempts, while Rudloff has netted six (2nd). Rudloff has taken the most shots (62) with the second-most on goal (43), while Brentlinger is second in shots (59) and first in shots on goal (48). Aiding the two in scoring has been sophomore Lauren Prasnicki|Lexington (Rockbridge County) who leads the squad with 13 assists. She also is third on the team in goals (18) and points (31).

Another leader on the team and in the league is senior captain Hannah Riggs|Eden Prairie, Minn. (Eden Prairie) who has been anchoring the defense for Longwood. She leads the group and the NLC with her 53 total ground balls and 3.60 per game. Not only does she lead the conference with those numbers, but she ranks 2nd in the NCAA for her average per game. The senior also ranks 3rd in the loop with 56 total draw controls and 3.73 per game. Junior transfer Mollie Zimmerman|Fairpoint, N.Y. (Catawba|Monroe CC) has been the starter in net this year, totaling 798:25 while ranking 2nd in saves per game (9.87) in the league and 6th in the NCAA. As a team, Longwood ranks 2nd in ground balls per game (18.73) as well as saves per game (11.07) and 4th in draw controls per game (13.07), including ranking 6th in the NCAA for ground balls per game.

Davidson recorded a 7-9 overall record and a 4-3 mark in the NLC during regular season competition. Sophomore attacker Ann Fucigna continues to lead the Wildcats with a team-high 43 goals (4th in NLC) and 19 assists, totaling 2nd-best in the loop for points (62). Sophomore attacker Erin Doherty leads the team with 58 draw controls (2nd in NLC), while freshman defender Diane Girling leads the backline with 19 caused turnovers (5th in NLC) and 36 ground balls.

Friday's contest with Davidson will be the 14th meeting between the two teams as the Lancers hold a 7-6 advantage. The Wildcats snapped a four-game skid in the all-time series earlier this season with an 18-14 win at home April 20.

Those fans unable to attend the tournament may follow free live stats online via the following link: http://sidearmstats.com/davidson/wlax/scoreboard.aspx.