WORCESTER, Mass. – No. 8 eight seed Assumption looks for a big upset when the team squares off against top ranked and top seed Adelphi in the NE10 Quarterfinals on Wednesday at 4 pm.
The Hounds are coming off a hard-fought defeat at the hands of No. 15 Merrimack this past weekend. Sarah Reilly (Fairfield, Conn. / Fairfield-Warde) paced the offense with two goals and two assists while Amanda Burns (Billerica, Mass. / Billerica Memorial) scored four goals. Marran Oakman (Kennebunk, Maine / Kennebunk) added eight draw controls.
This season Assumption is averaging a school-record 16.4 goals per game. Reilly leads the offense with a school-record 84 points this year on 59 goals and 25 assists. Caitlin Graves (Ashland, Mass. / Ashland) is second on the team with 55 points (32g, 23a), while Kailyn Hart (Cohoes, N.Y. / Shaker) has 54 points and Burns has 49 points and leads the team with 77 draws.
Defensively, sisters Morgan Cushing (Gorham, Maine / Gorham) and Meghan Cushing (Gorham, Maine / Gorham) lead the team with 23 and 22 caused turnovers respectively. Meghan also had 48 ground balls and 46 draw controls. In total, ten different players have at least ten caused turnovers. Kyra Goucher (Derry, N.H. / Pinkerton Academy) has been solid in net in her first year as a starter, posting a 9-7 record with a 12.33 GAA and 34.3 save percentage.
Adelphi comes into today riding a 16-game win streak and ranked first in the nation. They haven't allowed more than eight goals in nine straight games and are coming off an 18-7 victory over No. 10 Mercy. Beth Ann Pierce scored seven goals in the game as the Panthers jumped out to an 11-3 lead at the half.
This season, Adelphi is averaging 17.4 goals per game. Kole Pollock leads the team with 64 goals and has 16 assists for 80 points. Alison Johnson leads the team with 106 points overall, dishing off 76 assists to go with 30 goals. Lean Riportella is third on the team with 51 points. Defensively, Kaitlyn Stackpole leads the team with 43 caused turnovers and 43 ground balls. In net, Emma Lemanski is 13-0 with a 6.01 GAA and .538 save percentage.
The two teams met earlier this season in Worcester, with the Panthers taking down the Hounds 22-17. Adelphi jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first five minutes but Assumption rebounded to trail 14-8 at the half. The Hounds made a run to pull within four twice in the second half before ultimately losing by five. Reilly scored five times while Burns had four goals and two assists. Lena Riportella led the Panthers with six goals and two assists.