W&J Earns Postseason Bid In ECAC Mid-Atlantic Women’s Lacrosse Tournament
WASHINGTON, Pa. -- For the third consecutive season, the Washington & Jefferson College women’s lacrosse team has earned a postseason invitation to the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Mid-Atlantic Tournament. However, for the first time, W&J has been awarded a home postseason game.
The Presidents (12-3) were selected as the No. 3 seed for the seven-team postseason tournament. W&J will host sixth-seeded St. Joseph’s College of Long Island (9-8) on Wednesday at Alexandre Stadium at 2:00 pm.
Lebanon Valley is the No. 1 seed and earned a bye during the quarterfinal round. The Flying Dutchwomen have declined hosting rights for the semifinal and championship rounds.
Wednesday’s other quarterfinal games include No. 2 Marywood (14-4) vs. No. 7 SUNY-Morrisville (13-5) and No. 4 Alvernia (9-8) vs. No. 5 Neumann (10-6).
The Alvernia-Neumann winner will play Lebanon Valley at the site of the highest remaining seed on Saturday in the first semifinal. Wednesday’s other two winners will square off at the same field following the conclusion of the first game. The championship match will be played on Sunday at the same site.
The Presidents are competing in a postseason tournament for the third time in the program’s five-year history. W&J was the runner-up in the 2010 ECAC Mid-Atlantic Tournament after falling to FDU-Florham in the championship match. Last year, Washington & Jefferson topped Alvernia on the road in the ECAC quarterfinals 12-10 before falling to FDU-Florham in the semifinals.
Washington & Jefferson relies on its scoring duo of senior Brittney Oake (Belle Mead, N.J./Montgomery) and junior Brittany Fradkin (Owings Mills, Md./St. Paul’s SFG). Oake enters the ECAC Tournament with 185 goals, including 50 this spring. Fradkin has racked up a team-high 61 (37th in NCAA D-III) this season to up her three-year career total to 129. Junior goalie Julia McLellan (Walkersville, Md./Walkersville) has also been steady with a career-low 7.73 goals-against average (15th in nation). She owns 344 career saves and a 37-11 record (.771).
W&J All-America senior defender Cayla Grodotzke (Merrick, N.Y./Sanford H. Calhoun) grew up 31 miles from St. Joseph’s campus, located in Patchogue, N.Y. She spearheads a Presidents’ defense which ranks 12th in NCAA Division III, allowing 7.6 goals per game.
Under the direction of Head Coach Bob Vlahakis, St. Joseph’s (L.I.) completed its first NCAA Division III varsity season with a 9-8 record, including a 6-2 Skyline Conference record. Freshman Lisa Terry leads the team and ranks 60th in the country with 64 goals (3.76 gpg).
Washington & Jefferson posted a 12-3 regular-season record for the third-straight year under Head Coach Kate Scattergood. Since becoming a NCAA Division III varsity sport in 2008, W&J has produced a 49-25 record.
