Milloy, Kaplan lead UNH into tourney

Ashley Milloy has been a stalwart in goal for the University of New Hampshire women's lacrosse team, and Shaunna Kaplan is a threat to score every time she carries the ball.

Together, the senior goalie from Sudbury and the sophomore attack from Framingham have helped propel the 14th-ranked Wildcats to a 13-5 record this spring.

Both earned America East Conference all-star honors and were named to the all-tournament team after the third-seeded Wildcats gave top-seed Boston University all it could handle before bowing, 9-8, in overtime in the conference championship game. For the team's efforts, the Wildcats were awarded an at-large berth in the NCAA tournament, and a first-round rematch at BU today at noon.

Milloy, a three-time Dual County League all-star at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High, had a career-best 15 saves in a 15-6 tournament semifinal win over No. 2 seed Vermont.

Kaplan, who led Framingham High to the 2006 state lacrosse title, had 3 goals and 4 assists in the tournament to extend her point-scoring streak to 17 games. She had 30 goals and 15 assists overall.

"Ashley's overall play and leadership have been major reasons for our team's success. Having a hot goalie allowed the team to play with added confidence." said UNH coach Sandy Bridgeman. "Shaunna has stepped up as a finisher and in assists. Her breakaway speed has made her a threat every time she touches the ball in transition."

Sophomore Leah Derderian of Boylston, who plays first base and designated hitter for the Simmons College softball team, has brought a positive energy to the program, which this spring broke its single-season record for victories.

"Leah has a terrific attitude every single day," said Simmons coach Nick French, whose team was 33-10 overall, finished second in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference, and received the third seed in the ECAC Division 3 tournament. Simmons was to play Nichols in a first-round game yesterday.

Derderian was batting .301 with 17 RBIs and 2 homers for Simmons this spring, and was named to the conference's Sportsmanship Team.

At Tahanto Regional High, she was a three-sport captain, a Mid-Wachusett League all-star in soccer and softball, and president of the local chapter of Best Buddies, an international program that pairs mentoring mainstream students with special-needs students.

Marvin Pave can be reached at 508-820-4223 or marvin.pave@ rcn.com.

Correction: Because of an editing error, the last name of Ashley Milley, a University of New Hampshire lacrosse player from Sudbury, was misspelled in a Sports Notebook item last Thursday.