EMAIL THIS PAGE

March 30, 2004

Junior attacker Rebecca Copeland was selected by the Patriot League's coaches as the PL Co-Offensive Player of the Year.

WASHINGTON — Seven American University women’s lacrosse players have been named to the Patriot League First- and Second-Team All-League teams by the league’s coaches, including junior Rebecca Copeland (Webster, N.Y./Webster), who was named the league’s Co-Offensive Player of the Year, PL officials announced Thursday.

Copeland, an attacker, leads American and is third in the Patriot League in goals this season with 38. The 38 goals are tied for the sixth-best single-season total in school history. Copeland has also added a career-high five assists, which gives her 43 points this season, good for second on the squad and sixth in the PL. Copeland currently has 99 career points, and is seeking to become just the fifth Eagle to score 100 career points. Copeland moved up to the league’s First Team this season after being named to the Second Team in 2003.

AU seniors Tara Michael (Owings, Md./South River) and Lynn Brandon (Exton, Pa./Henderson) join Copeland on the PL First-Team. Michael is the Eagles leading scorer this season, with 45 points on 31 goals and 14 assists. In addition to her scoring, Michael leads the team in ground balls and caused turnovers.

Brandon has helped solidify a defense that ranked first in the PL in caused turnovers per game (8.8) and second in goals allowed per game (9.67). She has tallied seven goals and three assists, while checking in with 24 ground balls, 16 draw controls and 16 caused turnovers. She has also consistently marked one of the opponents’ top scorers.

Meanwhile, Eagles Moriah Linnell (Antrim, N.H./Contoocook Valley), Nicole McCarthy (Flourtown, Pa./Springfield), Laura Barnes (Annapolis, Md./Annapolis) and Kathleen Finnegan (Arnold, Md./St. Mary’s) were named to the PL’s Second Team.
Linnell, a sophomore, more than doubled her offensive output from a season ago with 22 goals, 12 assists and 34 points. Linnell leads AU in free position shots, with 13, and has racked up 34 ground balls and 26 draw controls.

McCarthy, playing in her final season in an American uniform, was a First-Team performer last year. She is the Eagles’ fourth-leading scorer, with 32 points on 20 goals and 12 assists. McCarthy’s 86 career points rank her seventh on AU’s all-time scoring list, and her 32 career assists are third all-time at AU. In addition, she is the school’s leader in ground balls (242) and caused turnovers (122).

Barnes makes her first appearance on the PL all-league teams. She has been a defensive stalwart all season, racking up 26 caused turnovers, second-most on the squad and the ninth-most in a single season in school history. In addition, she has picked up 37 ground balls, third on the team.

Finnegan returns to the league’s Second Team, where she was selected last season. Finnegan, a sophomore, has compiled a .485 save percentage this season while allowing just 9.6 goals per game. She has stopped 129 shots in 856 minutes. In just her second season as an Eagle, Finnegan is already fourth on the school’s career saves list, and her 129 saves this season are the 10th-most in a single season in AU history. In addition, her .508 career save percentage currently ranks third on the school’s all-time list, just 1/1000th of a percentage point from tying for second all-time.

AU’s seven All-League selections tie Colgate, the PL’s regular season champions, for most in the league.

AU is coming off its best season ever in which the Eagles won 11 games, won the Patriot League championship and made its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament, losing to Virginia in the first round. The Eagles will look to defend their 2003 Patriot League title this weekend when they travel to Colgate University for the PL Championship Tournament. American, the second seed, squares off against third-seeded Bucknell in the semifinals on Saturday, May 1 at 2:30 p.m. Top-seeded Colgate will meet No. 4 Lafayette at 1 p.m. on Saturday. The winners will face off for the PL title on Sunday at 1 p.m.