For Immediate Release: April 9, 2008
Contact: Anthony G. Naglieri (sports@binghamton.edu)
Phone: 607-777-2956

Albany tops Binghamton women's lacrosse 11-8

Box Score

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Sophomore Kayla Best scored a game-high four goals and Albany's four unanswered goals to close out the first half proved to be the difference in an 11-8 victory over visiting Binghamton Wednesday evening.

With the win, the host Great Danes improve to 8-5 overall and even their league mark at 2-2. The Bearcats fall to 4-9 on the season and 0-4 in conference play.

"We had an excellent defensive effort again," said head coach Tony Zostant. "We played a solid 60 minutes...we just came up short tonight. If we continue with the effort we are putting in, we will have good things coming down the road. I am just really proud of how we brought the intensity for entire game. Offense, defense, tranisition - we played well in all facets of the game. Although it was a loss, we will buld off this."

Fellow sophomore Christine Grueniger netted a pair of first-half goals, the first breaking a 2-2 tie at the 8:07 mark, as part of 4-0 half-ending run to give the Great Danes a 6-2 cushion after 30 minutes. Grueniger finished with three points (2 g, 1 a) on the evening.

The Bearcats battled back in the second half, twice cutting the deficit to two goals at 6-4 and 8-6, but Best registered back-to-back goals midway through the period to stretch the lead back to four and secure the Great Dane victory.

Freshman Ali Castiglie (Middle Island, N.Y.) led the Bearcats with two goals raising her team-high point total to 32 (14 g, 18 a). Classmate Kate Tesi (Yorktown, N.Y.) scored her fourth goal in the last two games contributing a goal and an assist.

Senior Leanne Musso (Auburn, N.Y.) scored her team-leading 21st goal and added a game-high tying three draw controls. Junior Julia Demuth (Jordan, N.Y.), sophomore Lizzie Wright (Massapequa, N.Y.), and freshmen Kate Concialdi (Yorktown, N.Y.) and Jen Fischer (Yorktown, N.Y.) each scored a goal apiece to round out the BU scoring.

Senior Sandra Alvarez (Port Washington, N.Y.), honored as the America East Defender of the Week on Monday, played the full 60 minutes in net for the Bearcats and recorded 11 saves.

The Binghamton women's lacrosse team will host their final home game of the season, as the face off against league opponent Stony Brook Saturday at 7 p.m.

Sandra Alvarez, Kristen Marsjanik, and Leanne Musso will be playing in their final home game of their careers, and will be honored prior to game as part of Senior Day.

Notes: Albany took last year's matchup 16-6 in Vestal...With her first-half goal, Tesi became the seventh Bearcat to have scored at least 10 goals on the season...Musso has seven goals in the last seven games and has found the back of the net at least once in all 11 of 13 games this season...Alvarez is averaging 11.7 saves per game over the last three contests...The Bearcats have received a goal from at least four freshman on seven occasions this season...Binghamton has won just one of seven decisions on the road this season.