ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (Apr. 26, 2016) – With less than one week remaining in the season, the Molloy College women's lacrosse team is still on the verge of a playoff berth for the upcoming East Coast Conference Tournament. There is work to be done, however, and the Lions can clinch a spot in the postseason as early as Wednesday (Apr. 27) when the maroon and white host No. 10 Dowling at John A. Darcy Field at 7 p.m.
About the Lions
- Molloy is 9-5 on the season and 4-2 in East Coast Conference play. The Lions dropped a 13-7 decision in their most recent contest to Mercy College on Saturday (Apr. 23) up in Dobbs Ferry.
- Junior midfielder
Cooper Sesselman (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) and graduate attacker
Meghan Orlando (Hicksville, N.Y.) both have scored 47 points this season---Sesselman has a team-high 36 goals and 11 assists while Orlando has the inverse of 11 goals and 36 assists through 14 games this season.
- Going into the Lions' victory over Saint Thomas Aquinas on Apr. 4, sophomore attacker
Jessica Markowitz (Baldwin, N.Y.) had scored a total of 15 goals after breaking out and being named the conference's Rookie of the Year in 2015. Since that 13-5 win over STAC, however, Markowitz has regained her form by scoring 12 goals in the last three contests.
- Red-shirt junior goalkeeper
Caroline Winters (Baldwin, N.Y.) has had a decision in all contests so far this season, winning nine games and posting a 9.93 goals-against average and a .516 save percentage.
- Wednesday night's contest will honor the members of the senior class who are playing in their final home game of the regular season, a list that includes Orlando, Winters,
Katie O'Brien (Oyster Bay, N.Y.),
Kim Pepe (Farmingdale, N.Y.),
Chelsea Bauer (Hicksville, N.Y.),
Caitlin Caiazza (Melville, N.Y.),
Kelsey Dougherty (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.),
Arianna Cavallone (Glen Cove, N.Y.) and
Sara Aukstolis (Plainview, N.Y.).
Concerning the Golden Lions
-The tenth-ranked Golden Lions of Dowling celebrated their own Senior Day on Saturday (Apr. 23) with an 18-6 victory over Roberts Wesleyan out in Shirley, N.Y. Dowling is 13-2 overall and 7-0 in ECC play and can wrap up the outright regular season championship (having already clinched at least a share of the title) on Wednesday night.
- Four members of the Golden Lions are also members of the 30-goal club this season, with junior attacker Brooke Kreuscher (Bayport, N.Y.) leading the way with 39 markers on the year. It is a roster heavily loaded with juniors for Kerri Handras, who like Molloy's
Tom Campolettano, has been the only head coach in the history of her program.
- Another junior on the team is goalie Lauren Young (Centereach, N.Y.), who has won all 13 games for Dowling this season. Young is posting a 7.48 goals-against average as well as a save percentage of .488. While that save percentage number seems significantly low, consider the fact that the Golden Lions are averaging a score differential of plus-seven (14-7) and are shooting double the shots (217-106) that opponents are getting in contests this year.
