Broadside Sports

Brian T. Chan, Sports Editor

Overview:
The women’s lacrosse team will battle the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays on Saturday at 1 p.m. at George Mason Stadium. Mason concluded the 2009 season with a 6-10 overall record and 2-5 conference record, defeating the James Madison Dukes 8-7 in the regular season finale. The Patriots hosted its season opener last week against the UMBC Golden Retrievers. Johns Hopkins opened the season ranked 15th in the nation last year and defeated the Patriots 15-10 in the opener.

Saturday’s game will mark the Blue Jays’ season opener. The Blue Jays finished 5-12 overall last season while going 0-4 in the American Lacrosse Conference.

Mason:
The Patriots return with four 20-goal scorers from last season. Among the quad is the leading scorer, junior attacker Madalyn Jamison. The Second-Team All-Colonial Athletic Association selection led the Patriots with 59 points on 29 goals and 30 assists. Jamison recorded a game-high five goals and seven points twice last season.

Junior midfielder Chelsea Gamble will also provide some offensive spark for Mason. Last season, she scored 21 goals and led the team with a .538 shot percentage.

Johns Hopkins:
The Blue Jays will be led by its two sophomore standouts, attacker Candace Rossi and midfielder Colleen McCaffrey. Rossi started 15 of 17 games last year, notching a team-high 29 goals and 33 points; McCaffrey followed with 28 points and recorded a .549 shot percentage. Junior goalie Julianne Wisner posted a 2-9 record, posting a .428 save percentage. Senior goalie Lizzie O’Ferrall split time with Wisner last season, going 2-3 and allowing 12.88 goals per game.