For Immediate Release: April 20, 2008
Contact: Anthony G. Naglieri (sports@binghamton.edu)
Phone: 607-777-2956

Vermont overpowers Binghamton 23-9 in '08 league finale
Leanne Musso nets a pair to tie school-record for goals scored

Box Score

BURLINGTON, Vt. -- Freshman Megan MacDonald had a game-high eight points on five goals and three assists and junior Sarah DeStefano netted five goals of her own as Vermont overpowered Binghamton, 23-9, in America East women's lacrosse action at Moulton Winder Field on Sunday afternoon.

With the win, the Catamounts conclude the regular season with an 8-8 overall mark and as winners of 5-of-6 league contests. The Bearcats drop to 0-6 in America East play and 4-11 headed into Tuesday's season finale at Wagner.

With the score tied 4-4, DeStefano scored the first of six unanswered goals for the host Catamounts over a 7:46 span, as part of a 10-2 run to close out the first half. MacDonald scored four of her five tallies in the first 30 minutes, including three during the half-ending rally, to give Vermont a commanding 14-6 lead.

The Bearcats received goals from freshmen Siobhan Menz (Webster, N.Y.), Kate Concialdi (Yorktown, N.Y.), and Hill in the second half of play, but were outscored 9-3 as Vermont posted a BU opponent season-high 23 goals in the league finale for both teams.

The Catamounts, which head into next weekend's America East Championship as the No. 2 seed, outshot Binghamton by a 51-26 margin and dominated possession, corralling 25 of 34 draw controls on the afternoon. Junior Kristen Millar led Vermont's efforts in the circle with 12 draw controls. The NCAA's all-time leader in the category, Millar also added four points (1 g, 3 a).

Lisa Illig (Corning, N.Y.), one of six BU freshmen to find the back of the cage, finished with a goal and two assists to lead the Bearcats. Senior Leanne Musso (Auburn, N.Y.) and first-year attack Erica Hill (Delmar, N.Y.) each netted a pair of goals, while Ali Castiglie (Middle Island, N.Y.) added a goal and an assist in the losing effort. Freshman Kate Tesi (Yorktown, N.Y.) also added a goal, her 11th of the season, to round out BU's scoring

Musso leads the team with a career-best total of 26 goals. A senior tri-captain and fourth-year midfielder, she is now tied with former Bearcat Heather Grose '07 for the all-time program lead in goals with 84. Musso enters Tuesday's season finale with 112 career points (84 g, 28 a) - two shy of tying Grose for second on the Bearcats' all-time scoring list.

Illig is second on the team with 18 goals, while both Hill and Castiglie have 16 apiece. With a team-best 35 points (16 g, 19 a) Castiglie has now amassed the second highest point total for a BU freshman in program history (Becky Green - 59 pts, 2004).

The Binghamton women's lacrosse team closes out 2008 with a road contest at Wagner College on Tuesday, April 22 at 4 p.m.

Notes: Vermont leads the all-time series 6-1...Concialdi became the eighth Bearcat to have scored at least 10 goals on the season.