In its first season under the director of Head Coach Jess Smith and just its third season in existence, the Kalamazoo College women's lacrosse program is heading to its first ever Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association postseason tournament.
After facing a tough non-conference schedule to begin the 2016 season, Kalamazoo opened up MIAA play with a 12-0 win over Trine to get the ball rolling in conference. Losing three of their next four games, the Hornets rallied down the stretch winning two of their last three conference games highlighted by an 8-7 victory against St. Mary's to finish fourth in the league.
The Tournament Match Ups
May 5
Semifinal #1 – No. 4 Kalamazoo (5-10, 4-4) at No. 1 Albion (9-6, 8-0) – 5 p.m. (Albion, Mich.)
Semifinal #2 – No. 3 Hope (7-5, 6-2) at. No. 2 Calvin (10-5, 7-1) – 5 p.m. (Grand Rapids, Mich.)
The MIAA final will be held on May 7. Time and location are TBA.
Rivalry Revisited
In the Hornets' lone match up with the Britons this season, Kalamazoo fell 9-7 at Sprankle Sprandel Stadium but came within minutes of pulling an upset. Leading 5-2 at halftime, Kalamazoo held its lead for the majority of the second half but the Britons tied the game up with 13:11 remaining and took the lead 12 seconds later. Albion tacked on a final goal with 26 seconds remaining as the Hornets pressed for an equalizer late.
Between the Pipes
Facing the highest-scoring attack in the MIAA, Kalamazoo's Katie Johnson will be tested by the Britons attack led by the conference's second-leading scorer Julie Wood, but Johnson's been up for the challenge throughout 2016. The 2015 All-MIAA Second Team selection leads all goalies in the conference with 149 total saves. She also boasts a 45.6 save percentage, good for third in the conference. In the previous contest with Albion, Johnson tied her season high with 18 saves.
On the Attack
The Hornets' attack has been relatively balanced over the course of the season, but freshman midfielder Amanda Moss stepped up her play once the conference season started. In eight conference games, the Bloomfield Hills product has recorded 18 goals and nine assists, both team highs.
Other Hornets who've been dangerous on the attack include Nicole Huff, Cecilia DiFranco and Anna Dairaghi. All have scored double digit goals for Kalamazoo. Vethania Stavropoulos and Alivia DuQuet have double digit point totals for the Hornets as well.
A fan bus providing transportation to and from Albion Thursday afternoon is available for the first 35 students interested. The bus is scheduled to depart at 4:15 p.m. outside of Anderson Athletic Center and an email to lynsey.britten@kzoo.edu is required to reserve a spot on the bus.