For Immediate Release: April 22, 2008
Contact: Anthony G. Naglieri (sports@binghamton.edu)
Phone: 607-777-2956

Musso leads Women's Lacrosse to record day in '08 finale
Senior sets program record for career goals, ties mark for points in a game

Box Score

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - In her final collegiate game, senior Leanne Musso (Auburn, N.Y.) left it all on the table.

The Bearcat tri-captain and fourth-year midfielder posted a school-record tying nine-points on five goals and four assists, leading the Binghamton women's lacrosse team to its program-best fifth victory in a 20-12 triumph against Wagner College Tuesday afternoon.

With the five-goal effort, Musso surpasses Heather Grose '07 (84g, 114pts) to become the program's all-time leader in goals with 89 and moves into second on the Bearcat scoring ledger with 121 career points (89 g, 32 a). She concludes her impressive Bearcat tenure with a career- and team-best 31 goals.

Her nine points matches the school's single-game mark for points established by current Bearcat assistant coach Lauren Wetherell against St. Francis (N.Y.) on March 29, 2006.

With the victory, Binghamton concludes its seventh season of intercollegiate women's lacrosse with an overall mark of 5-11. The five wins represent a new program-best total. BU won four games during both the 2004 and 2006 campaigns.

"It was a complete team effort today. Our seniors really stepped up for their last game," said head coach Tony Zostant. "It was really exciting to see them play at such a high level. Across the board, offensively and defensively we played together as a unit."

Twelve different Binghamton players, including eight freshmen, accounted for a Bearcat season-high 20 goals in the win.

Freshman Kate Tesi (Yorktown, N.Y.) scored three goals and an assist for a collegiate-best four points, while classmates Ali Castiglie (Middle Island, N.Y.) and Kate Concialdi (Yorktown, N.Y.) each netted two goals apiece.

Castiglie finishes the year with a team-best 19 assists and second to Musso for the lead in points with 37. The 37 points represent the second highest point total for a BU freshman in program history (Becky Green - 59 pts, 2004).

The remaining two members of the Bearcats senior class also left their mark on Tuesday.

Goalie Sandra Alvarez (Port Washington, N.Y.) made a school-record 19 saves in her final appearance in between the cage for the Bearcats. After walking onto the team as a sophomore, Alvarez will graduate as the program’s all-time leader in saves (387) and tied for the most wins (7).

Fourth-year attack Kristen Marsjanik (Webster, N.Y.) made the most of her second start of the season, notching her 21st career goal.

The Bearcats held a 6-3 lead midway through the first half before the host Seahawks responded with three unanswered goals in a 1:02 span concluding at the 13:06 mark to draw even.

The score would stand that way for nearly five minutes before Binghamton freshman Lisa Illig (Corning, N.Y.) scored her 19th goal of the season on a feed from classmate Jen Fischer (Yorktown, N.Y.) to spur a 4-0 run to close out the period.

Illig and Fischer, along with junior Julia Demuth (Jordan, N.Y.) and sophomore Lizzie Wright (Massapequa, N.Y.), each finished with a goal and an assist.

Wagner (3-13), which outshot the visiting Bearcats 45-36, would cut the deficit down to three goals in the second half at13-10, but drew no closer as Binghamton tallied seven of the final nine scores to create the 20-12 margin.

Notes: Musso's five-goal effort tied a career-high set last spring at Iona (4/25/07)...The meeting was the first between the two programs.