March 29, 2007

BLACKSBURG, Va. - The Virginia Tech women's lacrosse team wraps up the away portion of its schedule this Friday, Mar. 30, at Ohio State. The Hokies will travel to Columbus, Ohio, to face the Buckeyes at 7 p.m.

Tech enters the contest with a 4-7 overall record. The Hokies most recently dropped a 16-7 decision to Delaware this past Tuesday, in Newark, Del. Senior Britt Faulkner led the way with two goals, while junior Katie Russo contributed two points, with her first goal of the season and an assist.

Leading the Hokies' attack this season are juniors Kady McBrearty and Jenna Reich. McBrearty holds the top spot on the team with 21 goals, nine assists and 30 points. Reich has recorded 26 points on 19 goals and seven assists.

Sophomore Kari Morrison has stopped 123 shots, for a .436 save percentage, and is currently allowing 13.94 goals per game. She leads the defense with 38 ground balls and has caused eight turnovers on the season. She ranks 10^th in the NCAA with 3.45 ground balls per game.

Ohio State (4-2, 0-1) is coming into the contest after picking up a 15-14 overtime victory over St. Bonaventure this past Sunday. OSU's Kristen Slahor, Kelly Haggerty and Megan Levins each scored three goals against the Bonnies with Slahor adding a game-high four assists.

For the season, Slahor leads the Buckeyes with 33 points, 16 goals and 17 assists. Kelly Haggerty has registered 17 points, while Amanda Shimp has 11 and Natale Miller has 10.

In goal for the Buckeyes, Kristen Gilwee has stopped 48 shots for a .516 save percentage and has allowed 9.39 goals per outing.

Tech leads the series between the two programs, 8-3, but is 2-3 when on the road. Behind four goals from current senior Lindsay Pieper, the Hokies picked up a 17-4 victory in Blacksburg last season. Eleven different Hokies scored in the contest, including Faulkner and sophomore Rachel Culp, each notching two.

Friday's match closes out the away portion of Tech's schedule. The Hokies return home for a three-game homestand to close out the regular season, beginning Tuesday, Apr. 10, as they host Longwood. They then face conference-foes, North Carolina and Maryland, on Friday, Apr. 13 and Saturday, Apr. 21, respectively, to close out the regular season.