Game Notes: Women's Lax Begins Spring Break Road Trip at Monmouth

UNH Women's Lacrosse: GAME 8
New Hampshire (2-5) at Monmouth (4-4)
Wednesday, March 16 • Monmouth Stadium • 2 p.m.

THE MATCHUP
Wednesday's game will enter the record books as the first meeting between UNH and Monmouth.

THE STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
UNH has a 2-5 overall record that includes 0-3 on the road. Two of those three road losses have been by one goal, including last Saturday's 12-11 score at Harvard University.

The Wildcats are 1-2 in March. They opened the month with a 16-6 win vs. College of the Holy Cross at Cowell Stadium, then lost by that score at that venue to Fairfield University.

New Hampshire is averaging 9.71 goals and 20.0 shots per game. The 'Cats have scored in double digits four times with a high of 16 in the aforementioned win vs. Holy Cross. The opposition has averaged 11.71 goals and 26.1 shots per game.

Five of UNH's seven games have been decided by a goal differential of at least six goals.

The opposition has recorded the shot advantage in 5 of 7 games, the edge in ground balls 5 of 7 games and more draw controls in 4 of 7 games. UNH has committed more turnovers in 6 of 7 games.

'CAT NIPS
Senior attacker Nicole Grote (Ellicott City, Md.) recorded two goals and three assists for a game-high five points at Harvard. All three assists were during UNH's late rally. Grote leads the team in both assists (11) and points (19), and she is tied for third in goals (eight); she also ranks second in shooting percentage (.571). With those numbers, Nicole is averaging 1.14 goals, 1.57 assists and 2.71 points per game through seven games (all starts).

Senior attacker Laura McHoul (Westwood, Mass.) recorded a season-high four assists to extend her point streak to seven games.

Sophomore goalkeeper Kate Clancy (Barrington, R.I.) recorded her fifth double-digit save effort of the season with 11 stops.

Junior midfielder Marissa Gurello (Manorville, N.Y.) and sophomore attacker Krissy Schafer (Longmeadow, Mass.) both matched a personal best of three goals.

Sophomore midfielder Carly Wooters (White Plains, N.Y.) extended her goal streak to seven games with one tally.

Wooters and Schafer are tied for the team lead in goals with 11. Schafer carries a five-game goal streak into Monmouth.

Junior attacker Devon Croke (Norwell, Mass.) recorded her first career multiple-goal game with two at Harvard. Croke was the top 'Cat in both ground balls (four) and caused turnovers (two), both of which marked career highs. She has played four games this season and scored a goal every game.

NO. 9 CLIMBS TO NO. 7
Laura McHoul claimed sole possession of No. 7 on UNH's career points leaderboard with the first of her four points March 12 at Harvard; she entered that game tied with Liz Brickley at 179 points. McHoul now has 183 career points. Directly ahead of her is No. 6 Shaunna Kaplan (187), and No. 5 is Sarah Von Bargen (203).

McHoul enters Wednesday's game with 72 goals and 111 assists for 183 points in 56 career games; those calculate to averages of 1.29 gpg, 1.98 apg and 3.27 ppg.

111 AND COUNTING
Laura McHoul entered the 2016 season as UNH's record holder for career assists with 102; she supplanted Karen Geromini, who tallied 101 assists, as the record holder last season. McHoul recorded four assists Saturday at Harvard to increase her season total to nine and career number to 111.

McHoul broke New Hampshire's single-season assist record with 39 in the 2014 season. She also holds No. 3 with 33 in 2013 and No. 5 with 30 in 2015.

LAST LINE OF DEFENSE
Kate Clancy returns to reprise her role as starting goalkeeper. Through seven games, she has stopped 68 of 148 shots on goal for an 11.90 GAA and .459 save percentage.

Clancy made a career-high 13 saves March 5 vs. Fairfield. She had previously matched her career high of 12 saves in consecutive games at UMass (Feb. 20) and at Dartmouth (Feb. 23).

GET THE BALL
Junior defender Hope Kissick has led New Hampshire in ground balls three of seven games with a season high of three against both Hofstra and Holy Cross. She has also led the 'Cats in caused turnovers three times with a high of two vs. Holy Cross. Furthermore, Kissick has recorded the most draw controls twice.

Overall, Kissick leads UNH in both ground balls (13) and caused turnovers (six), and she is second in draw controls (14).

AT THE HALF
New Hampshire has held the lead at halftime three times and has gone on to win two of those games. UNH is 0-4 when trailing at the half.

EIGHT IS ENOUGH
Nicole Grote recorded a career-high eight points vs. Holy Cross (March 2) by matching her personal bests in both goals (four) and assists (four). The eight points marked the highest total by a Wildcat since April 6, 2013, when Laura McHoul tallied nine points (two goals, seven assists).

50/75
Nicole Grote recorded both her 50^th career goal and 75^th career point March 2 vs. Holy Cross. Grote recorded point 75 with the first of her four goals that game, which came at 27:53 of the first half. She netted goal No. 50 at 15:12 of the first half.

Grote currently has 54 goals and 34 assists for 88 career points in 56 games. Laura
McHoul is the only current 'Cat with more goals or points.

IT'S A DRAW
Devan Miller was in the center circle for UNH's draw controls against Holy Cross on March 2. The Wildcats won 18 of 23 draws (78.3%) with Miller gaining possession on 10 of them, and that is the highest total by any 'Cat since March 28, 2009, when Allie Duclos had 11 DCs.

Miller recorded a game-high six draw controls at Harvard last Saturday.

NINE IN A ROW
The Wildcats scored nine consecutive goals in the second half vs. Holy Cross to extend their lead from 7-4 to 16-4. The run spanned 22 minutes, 12 seconds and is the longest stretch of consecutive goals by UNH this season.

NO GOAL FOR YOU
New Hampshire shut out Holy Cross for a stretch of 26 minutes, 22 seconds in the second half to mark the longest scoreless streak by an opponent this season. The 'Cats also held the Crusaders without a goal for 25:41 in the first half.

SCOUTING THE HAWKS
Monmouth University (West Long Branch, N.J.) enters the mid-week matchup vs. New Hampshire with a 4-4 overall record that includes 2-0 at home. Last week, the Hawks edged Bucknell, 17-16, on the road and then lost 14-11 at Delaware.

Monmouth is averaging 10.38 goals and 21.4 shots per game while allowing 11.12 goals and 27.1 shots per game.

Marial Pierce is the Hawks' leader in both assists (nine) and points (23), as well as draw controls (24); she is also third in caused turnovers (10). Alexa Smith has a team-high 17 goals and is tied with Olivia Higson for second in points with 19; Higson ranks second in goals (16). Michelle Gonzales has also reached double digits in assists (10) and Kate Ryan has tallied double-digit goals with 12.

Smith was honored as the MAAC Offensive Player of the Week on March 14. In two games last week, she recorded 10 points (8g, 2a) and that included personal bests in both goals (five) and points (seven) in the 17-16 win at Bucknell.

Caroline Huelster has started all eight games in goal and played all but 14:22 of a possible 480:00. She has a 10.95 GAA and .482 save percentage, and is the team leader in ground balls with 25.

Also on the defensive end of the field, Kristina Vangeli leads Monmouth in both ground balls (21) and causes turnovers (15).

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