April 27, 2005

LOUDONVILLE, NY - After a stellar 10-6 regular season overall record and a 5-1 mark in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, the Siena women's lacrosse is gearing up for the program's first league tournament. The Saints and Manhattan College finished the regular-season as the league co-champions.

The Saints lone loss came against the Lady Jaspers who won the tie breaker to claim the number one seed.

Many individual and program records were set and shattered this season. Sophomore midfielder Christina Pampalone (East Northport, N.Y.) set a school record with seven goals in a single game twice (4/10/05 Fairfield and 4/23/05 Niagara). Pampalone finished the regular season netting a team high 45 goals, and dished out 10 assists. The team's 10 wins shatters the previous program mark of five set last season. Women's lacrosse is in its 10th year of competition, having played its first varsity game at Siena in the spring of 1996.

MAAC Preseason player of the year Michelle Eide (Pearl River, N.Y.) added 35 goals and a team-best 13 assists, good for 48 points. Co-captain Katie Cruger (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.) has started every game (59) since her arrival at Siena.

"We played hard all season to get to this point and I think we will be ready for the task at hand", said head coach Jake McHerron. Last year, McHerron was named the 2004 Anaconda Sports Coach of the Year, an honor he shared with Jill Donovan of Manhattan.

The Saints enter the championship on a season-high, three-game winning streak. The tournament begins on Friday, April 29, at 4p.m., when the Lady Jaspers (7-7, 6-1 MAAC) take on fourth-seeded Marist (5-9, 4-3 MAAC). The second-seeded Saints (10-6, 6-1 MAAC) will face third-seeded LeMoyne (10-5, 5-2 MAAC) approximately 45 minutes after the completion of the first semifinal game.

The championship game is scheduled for noon on Sunday, May 1.

The winner of the MAAC championship will then travel to the winner of the Northeast Conference championship to compete in a play-in game for the automatic bid to the 2005 NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Championship.