George Washington University Athletics
Lacrosse Opens A-10 Slate on Thursday
3/27/2018 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
OPENING DRAW: The George Washington lacrosse team will put its non-conference success to the test when it begins Atlantic 10 action on Thursday against Revolutionary Rival George Mason at 2 p.m. at the GW Lacrosse Field on the Mount Vernon Campus. The Colonials will then make the trip up to Olean, New York to take on St. Bonaventure on Saturday at noon.
LAST TIME OUT: The Buff and Blue defeated Radford, 13-7, on March 20 to wrap up their non-conference slate with a program best 7-1 record. The historic victory also marked the Colonials' fifth-straight win, marking the longest streak since the squad's inception in 2002.
A LOOK AT THE A-10: With its 7-1 record, GW has the best non-conference record in the A-10 ahead of George Mason and Richmond who both have 6-2 marks. Davidson and Massachusetts are 5-3, La Salle and Saint Joseph's are 4-4, Duquesne is 2-5, VCU is 2-6 and St. Bonaventure is 0-8.
STARTING STRONG: The Colonials have dominated in the first half against their opponents and on average hold a three-goal advantage going into the break. Against Radford, GW led 9-3 after the first half and boasted an impressive 18-8 margin in shots, 8-5 advantage in draw controls, and 8-6 edge in caused turnovers.
AND THE AWARD GOES TO...: The Buff and Blue grabbed their third A-10 weekly award last week, with senior co-captain Jocelyn Donohue being named Co-Player of the Week and freshman keeper Jenna Oler earning her second Rookie of the Week honor. Donohue took the league's top award after registering back-to-back hat tricks at American and against Mount St Mary's. The Amherst, New Hampshire native has started every contest this season while also tallying multiple goals in each matchup.
Oler continues to dominate in the cage, and was tabbed Rookie or the Week after making a season-high matching 17 saves between the pipes against Mount St. Mary's, a mark that ranks tied-for-third in program history. The Columbia, Maryland native currently ranks first in the nation with a .599 save percentage and is third in the country and second in the conference with an 8.07 goals-against average.
ABOUT GEORGE MASON: The Patriots make the short trip to D.C. riding a two-game win streak, defeating Stetson University on March 18 (17-9), and Old Dominion on March 24 (16-5). Chachi Kelehan (20g, 11a) and Corinne Wessels (14g, 17a) lead the squad with 31 points each, while keeper Melissa Semkiw has recorded 76 saves and boasts a .535 save percentage.
ABOUT ST. BONAVENTURE: The Bonnies have yet to finish a game in the win column and will open their conference schedule against Duquesne on Thursday before hosting the Colonials on Saturday.
COYNE'S COMMENTS: "The coaching staff could see glimpses of the potential this team had in the fall," said head coach Tracy Coyne. "To actually see the team realize its potential and become more confident with each win has been a lot of fun. We have stuck to the simple adage of one game at a time, never looking ahead. We will continue to operate the same way for A-10 games - knowing the competition will be intense. We continue to learn and identify areas of improvement with each game and have used those lessons to our advantage. We thrive on the competition and the rivalries of the A-10. We can't wait for the conference schedule to begin."
