GORHAM, Maine – The University of Southern Maine Huskies women's lacrosse team is set to host the Plymouth State Panthers Thursday afternoon on Hannaford Field in the Little East Conference tournament semi-final. Earning the two-seed for the second consecutive LEC tournament, the Huskies had a bye in the first round, while Plymouth State hosted Castleton on Tuesday. The Panthers downed the Spartans 21-2.

The Team: In an abbreviated eight game regular season, the Huskies posted an impressive 6-2 record, suffering narrow losses to Western Connecticut and Keene State. Over the course of those eight games, the Huskies' offense has been powered by two members of the 100 career points club, seniors Alex Farley (Buxton, Maine/Bonny Eagle) and Megan Violette (Portland, Maine/Deering). 

The two have combined for half of the Huskies' goals this season. Farley, who leads the team with 35 goals, is also second in the conference in goals per game, averaging 4.38. Junior Rachel Shanks (Naples, Maine/Lake Region) has also been lethal on the attack, netting a career-high 25 goals so far this season. 

On the defensive end, goalie Mariah Vaillancourt (Lewiston, Maine/Edward Little), the reigning LEC goalie of the week, is currently second in conference with a .553 save percentage. A trio of senior defenders, Morgan Eliasen (Lewiston, Maine/Lewiston), Hannah Gorham (Lyman, Maine/Thornton Academy), and Dorina Sirois (Saco, Maine/Thornton Academy), have also been instrumental in the Huskies' success this season. 

At the end of the regular season, the Huskies found themselves in a three-way tie for second place in the conference and ultimately, their defense helped them secure the bye and a home game, as the two-seed went to the team with the fewest goals against. 

The Matchup: The Huskies traveled to Plymouth State on April 20th and earned their first win against the Panthers since 2011. Led by four goals from Farley and three from Violette, as well as a season-high 15 saves from Vaillancourt, the Huskies picked up a 10-7 victory. 

Vaillancourt will be tested on Thursday as the Panthers' Emily Santom (Litchfield, N.H.) leads the conference in goals per game and points per game. Santom scored four goals in the Panthers' win over Castleton in the LEC quarterfinals and also tallied two assists. 

Elizabeth McLaughlin (Melvin Village, N.H.) led the scoring for Plymouth State in the matchup against the Huskies, scoring four goals on nine shots, and is tied for a team best 22 goals on the season. Santom, the other Panther with 22 goals, did not appear in the game against USM. 

The Panther's goalie Meaghan Allard will pose a challenge for Farley, Violette, Shanks, and the rest of the Huskies offense. She leads the conference with a 5.34 goals against average. The ten goals scored by the Huskies on April 20th, is the most Allard has allowed all season. 

How to Watch: Tune into the game at southernmainehuskies.com or at littleeast.tv/southernmaine and follow the Huskies on instagram @southernmainehuskies and on twitter @usmhuskies for game updates.