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AU Comeback Falls Short Against George Mason
Riitano breaks single-season point record for Eagles

April 30, 2003

Gina Riitano set the AU single-season point record against George Mason.

WASHINGTON — Trailing by six at halftime, the American University women’s lacrosse team fought back to within three, but eventually fell, 15-10, to George Mason. Gina Riitano netted two goals and added an assist as she broke the single-season point record at AU with her 60th point of the season. The Eagles close the regular season at 11-7 and await the announcement of their first round opponent in the NCAA Tournament.

The Patriots (8-8) got two quick goals by Kate Scott to start the match. AU answered with goals by Nicole McCarthy and Nadia Harmsen to tie the match. With the game tied at three, Jill Toomey netted two of her game-high seven goals as George Mason went up, 5-3. Katy Zaweksi scored to close the gap to one, but the Eagles would get no closer. The Patriots went on a six-goal run over nine minutes to open an 11-4 lead. Tara Michael drew a free position shot that she converted to make the deficit six at halftime.

With George Mason leading 13-6 midway through the second half, the Eagles made a run to make the game tight. Riitano netted two goals while Michael and Jamie Crean each had one to close within three. However, the Patriots got two goals to close the game as AU went scoreless over the final 7:29 of the match.

Kathleen Finnegan made 15 saves between the pipes for American while Meg Dentler saved 10 for the Patriots. Harmsen and McCarthy each had five ground balls for the Eagles, but George Mason had 39 as a team compared to 34 for AU.

Riitano broke the old school record of 59 points set by Eleni Vagelatos in 1997. She also posted her 18th assist on the season, moving into a tie for second-most all-time in a season at AU.

The Eagles next match will by May 8th in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The pairings will be announced on Sunday at 8 p.m. on www.ncaasports.com.