STORYLINES
-First time in Piedmont history that two programs with double-digit win totals have met with both being undefeated
-Lady Lions looking to complete perfect regular season with a win over Tigers
-Sewanee comes in with nation’s 2nd best scoring offense
-Piedmont owns 3rd best scoring defense in Division III
THE COACHES
Head Coach Emily Jacquette has her program off to a roaring start now in her third year of competition after being hired to begin the women’s lacrosse program at Piedmont in 2011. The Lady Lions are 39-7 under Jacquette with two USA South regular season titles to their credit. Once again, Piedmont finished the USA South season undefeated at 6-0 after going 8-0 last year in league play, but the 2015 version is also undefeated overall entering Wednesday’s contest with fellow unbeaten Sewanee at 13-0.
Now in her 8th year as the Head Women’s Lacrosse Coach at Sewanee, Michele Dombrowski is also in her fourth year as the school’s field hockey coach as well. Under Dombrowski’s leadership, the women’s lacrosse team has won two conference titles and earned the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament berth in the spring of 2013. Additionally, Dombrowski was named the first-ever SAA Women’s Lacrosse Coach of the Year in the spring of 2013.
SCOUTING SEWANEE
The Tigers will likely be Piedmont’s toughest test in 2015 as Sewanee owns the nation’s 2nd best scoring offense with close to 19 goals per game behind only Wilkes in that category. This will not be the first “battle of the undefeateds” for Sewanee as the Tigers recently knocked off Rhodes College in a thriller 12-11 with Katie Riddle scoring a man-down goal with 20 seconds left to decide the contest. Rhodes came into the matchup 9-0 but left with its first loss of the 2015 season as the Tigers of Sewanee control their own destiny in the Southern Athletic Association with one more league game to go, a road trip to Birmingham-Southern this Saturday. The last time Sewanee lost a regular season contest – March 20, 2014 vs. Redlands. Since then, the Tigers have won 22 straight contests including the SAA postseason from a year ago.
SERIES RECORDS
With only three years of Piedmont women’s lacrosse on the books, these two have met just once, the 16-12 loss for Piedmont to the Tigers that started the 2014 season for the Lady Lions.
MAGGIE THE MAGICIAN
No question that the heart of the Piedmont offense rests on the crosse of Maggie McDaniel, the junior midfielder who has compiled one of the best statistical seasons by any Lady Lion to date. McDaniel, the reigning USA South Player of the Week, is 11th in the nation in points per game and 2nd in total assists orchestrating one of Division III’s most deadly attacks. McDaniel has plenty to work with as well as McKynsey Douglas and Alexis Narducci have tabbed 83 goals between the two of them. Douglas’ 53 scored is 2nd most in Division III.
LAST TIME OUT: V. CENTRE COLLEGE (W, 17-8)
Piedmont’s last action came at home against another Southern Athletic Association member, Centre College, as the Lady Lions came away with a 17-8 victory over the Colonels on April 3. Piedmont trailed 3-1 in the early going as Centre answered a Maggie McDainel score with one of their own to take the 2-goal lead with just over seven minutes gone in the first half.
Kayla Freund scored for the home team with 19:17 remaining to not only cut the deficit down to one, but also tab a goal that started a streak of seven straight scores for the home team as Piedmont took control after the early deficit. Five different Lady Lions combined for the seven scores that Piedmont up by five, 8-3 in the first half with Maggie Mcdaniel and McKynsey Douglas each tallying two in the stretch.
McDaniel topped the Lady Lions with her half dozen goals also topping the team lead with assists (4) and tied for the top spot in the ground balls column with four along with teammate Jenine Brideau.
NEXT UP FOR PIEDMONT
The Wednesday night matchup ends the regular season for Piedmont College who will head to the USA South postseason as the #1 seed in the championship tournament facing the #4 seed Ferrrum College in the first semifinal on Friday, April 17 at 1:00 pm.
