SELINSGROVE, Pa. - Two Susquehanna University players are ranked in the latest NCAA Division III women's lacrosse statistics while the team is third in ground balls per game through games of April 8.
Sophomore goalkeeper Giulia Umile is tied for third in Division III in save percentage while junior midfielder Liz Cipoletti is tied for eighth in ground balls per game as they have helped the Crusaders to an 8-3 overall record and the Middle Atlantic Conference regular-season championship with a 6-1 league mark.
The Crusaders will have home-field advantage for the four-team MAC playoffs, which begin with semifinal action on Wednesday, May 2 and conclude with the finals on Saturday, May 5. The conference postseason champion receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse championship.
Umile (Blue Bell, Pa./Gwynedd-Mercy Academy) moves from sixth to a third-place tie in Division III in save percentage with a .667 mark, having made 146 saves while permitting 73 goals. A first-team Middle Atlantic Conference All-Star last season as a freshman, Umile finished 11th in Division III in save percentage last season and 13th in goals against average at 7.69.
Umile continues as the number-one goalie in Division III by Lax.com with a rating of 99.13. Goalie rating is calculated by multiplying save percentage by total saves, and her figure is nine points higher than the second-place total among all Division III keepers.
Cipoletti (Fort Salonga, N.Y./Northport H.S.) is tied for eighth in Division III in ground balls per game at 6.20, with 62 ground balls in the Crusaders' first 10 games. Last season, Cipoletti ranked second on the team after scooping 54 ground balls in 16 games. She has scored three goals and dished off five assists for the Crusaders this season.
For the season, Susquehanna has corralled 465 ground balls in 10 matches (46.50 per game) to rank third in Division III behind Stevens Tech (50.00) and Cortland State (46.60).
The Crusaders close out the regular season with four non-league games, beginning Monday with a 4 p.m. match at Division II Philadelphia University.
