College Connections

By Paul Betit, Portland Press Herald

After graduating from Thornton Academy in Saco, Amanda McGeachey looked for a competitive college lacrosse team.

She found exactly what she wanted at Stonehill in Easton, Mass.

The Skyhawks will seek their ninth consecutive Northeast-10 championship this weekend, and McGeachey will be in goal.

"You learn very quickly how many championships they won and what the tradition is," McGeachey said.

In addition to winning eight league titles in a row, Division II Stonehill has not lost a game in the conference since 1998.

"With the tradition of the program, there's more pressure not to lose a game and sustain the streak," McGeachey said.

McGeachey has had a big hand in keeping the Skyhawks' streak alive this season. She's played every minute of every game, compiling a 6.3 goals-against average and a .505 saves percentage.

Stonehill, unbeaten in the conference for the ninth consecutive season, finished the regular season 16-1. The only loss came last Friday, 7-5 to nationally top-ranked C.W. Post in a nonconference game.

It is McGeachey's first season in goal since she graduated from Thornton in 2004. In her first season at Stonehill, she served as backup goalie.

Last spring she moved to defensive wing after spending the first three games of the season as the backup goalie.

McGeachey said the season she spent as a field player actually helped her when she returned to the goalie position.

"It gave me a chance to see where the defense was coming from and how the attackers can get through a defense," she said.