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No. 10 Women’s Lacrosse Eyes Return Trip to NCAA Tournament, Second Empire 8 Title
HOBOKEN, N.J. (March 3, 2011) – Coming off the most successful season in the program’s 10-year history, the Stevens Institute of Technology women’s lacrosse team is set for 2011 and is eyeing a return trip to the NCAA Division III Women’s Lacrosse Championship. In 2010, Stevens finished 17-3, won its first-ever Empire 8 title, and reached the national tournament for the first time in program history. The Ducks also won their first NCAA Tournament game ever and ended the year ranked ninth in the final Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Association Top-20.
Leading the Ducks this year will be a quartet of captains in seniors Pamela Loria (New Providence, N.J.), Christine Smith (East Northport, N.Y.), and Leah Wasserman (Monmouth Beach, N.J.) and junior Lindsay Daly (Kings Park, N.Y.). That group and the rest of returners will have to fill the shoes of the program’s all-time leader in points Alyssa Pigott (Jobstown, N.J.), 2010 goalkeeper Shannon McFadden (Baltimore, Md.), and defenders Kara Borzillo (Mount Laurel, N.J.), and Sam Zucker (Westfield, N.J.), and attack Katie Lalli (Princeton Junction, N.J.).
Loria battled back from injury last year and played a significant role the Ducks’ late season upset of No. 3 The College of New Jersey and their run to the Empire 8 title and appearance in the Regional semis of the national tournament. The veteran saw action in 14 games and tallied 19 goals, six assists, eight ground balls, and five caused turnovers. A player with one of the hardest shots in the conference, Loria will be a major part of an explosive Stevens offense.
Smith is the program’s all-time leader in draw controls and is always one of the most electrifying players on the field. She has scored 40-plus goals in each of her three seasons in Hoboken and is a two-time IWLCA All-American after earning a second-team nod in 2010. She has been top-25 nationally in draws the last two years and consistently fills up the box score game in and game out. Last season, the midfielder scored 42 goals, handed out eight assists, controlled 86 draws, picked up 30 ground balls, and caused 17 turnovers.
Wasserman is third all-time in points and goals scored after a monster 2010 season. The Empire 8 Championship MVP, Wasserman totaled 57 goals, notched a team-high 31 assists, corralled 28 draws, and scooped up 24 ground balls. She was an all-conference selection, earned All-Boardwalk Region honors, and was clutch for the Ducks all year. The Monmouth Beach, N.J. can score from anywhere in the attacking zone and should see increased numbers in 2011.
A defender, Daly came on strong for the Ducks last year and earned a spot in the starting lineup for 12 of the 19 games she played. She picked up 16 ground balls, caused 10 turnovers, and had three draw controls. An incredibly hard worker and superb leader, Daly has embraced the role of captain and will be looked upon to help guide the Stevens defense both on and off the field.
Senior defender Kate Cox (Aston, Pa.) will be key for the Ducks’ “D” as well after leading the team in caused turnovers and ground balls in 2009 and 2010. A great athlete, Cox and Daly will be key in grooming the younger players over the course of the year. She is a three-time All-Empire 8 selection and a two-time IWLCA All-American and will be etched in the Stevens record book in most defensive categories after the season.
Junior defender Ashley Carey (Mahopac, N.Y.) is coming off a strong 2010 campaign in which she was an all-conference and all-region selection after finishing with 33 ground balls, 34 draw controls, and 25 caused turnovers. Junior attack Jenna Scheibling (Long Valley, N.J.) was sixth on the team in points after tallying 20 times and handing out 16 helpers and she will be key in replacing some of the scoring lost to graduation. Junior attack Michelle Buonacuore (Medford, N.J.) is looking for another solid season after starting all 20 games for the Ducks last year. Buonacuore finished fourth on the team with 30 goals and third with 57 total points. Senior Claire Eudy (Alexandria, Va.) is healthy and ready to make an impact on the Stevens attack. A solid playmaker, Eudy has been making quality decisions with the ball in the preseason and should see an increased role on the field.
Sophomore Spencer Waybright (West Hartford, Conn.) was one of Stevens’ most well-rounded players a year ago and will only see an increased role in 2011. She received all-region honors and had impressive numbers across the board with 28 goals, 15 assists, 25 ground balls, 27 draw controls, and 12 caused turnovers. Fellow second-year player Joey Galligan (Burlingame, Calif.) also was solid as a rookie, seeing action in all 20 games, totaling 11 goals, five assists, 20 ground balls, and 13 caused turnovers from her midfield position. Galligan is clutch and seemed to always come up big at the right time for the Ducks last year.
Sophomore attack Elizabeth Martin (Smithtown, N.Y.) is healthy and ready to earn minutes as the season progresses, while sophomore defender Candice McKay (Powell, Ohio) improved her skills during the offseason, especially her field vision. Sophomore defender Nicole Andrews (Houston, Texas) has been steady all preseason and is starting to distinguish herself as an excellent one-on-one stopper, while sophomore midfielder/defender Christine Eicher (Kings Park, N.Y.) has shown consistency and versatility since the fall season. Second-year midfielder Teegan Kelly (Charlton, N.Y.) has continued to develop and will be an asset thanks to her athleticism, tenacity and aggressiveness.
Sophomore Meg Collins (Marshfield, Mass.) leads a young goalkeeping core into action after seeing time in seven games for the Ducks as a rookie. Collins has looked solid in the preseason and has improved greatly on her clears and overall goalkeeping skills. Also in the mix and providing an intense goalie competition will be freshmen Melanie Welcome (Winsted, Conn.) and Sarah Prall (Lansdale, Pa.) who are both showing excellent skills and improvement over the course of the preseason.
In addition to all of the returning athletes, reigning Boardwalk Region Coach of the Year Celine Cunningham (Union City, N.J.) has brought in a talented group of newcomers. Gabby Gordon (Flemington, N.J.) plays well on both sides of the ball and is one of the Ducks’ quickest players, while midfielder Kara Rafferty (Bayshore, N.Y.) has impressed from the start and will see solid minutes right away in the midfield. Defender Allison Kahn (Vernon, N.J.) has been getting better and better each time out on the practice field as has fellow defender Lena DeAngelo (Bethlehem, Pa.).
Coach Cunningham has been happy with her team in the preseason as the Ducks played well against Catholic University, Fairleigh Dickinson University – Florham, and Cabrini College.
“I’ve been really impressed with our preseason and have seen great improvement from top-to-bottom,” Cunningham said. “We lost a solid group of seniors but have not missed a beat. The entire group came focused and it has shown in each practice to date.”
Stevens is deep across the board and despite losing important pieces to graduation, the veteran experience and leadership should help the Ducks in their quest for a second Empire 8 title. The Ducks return 5-of-6 All-Boardwalk Region picks, and they will be leaned on to lead the group through a tough non-conference and Empire 8 schedule.
Stevens opens the season at Montclair State University on March 5 and takes a Spring Break trip to Orlando, Fla. nine days later to take on Gettysburg College and the Claremont Mudd Scripps on March 14 and 15. Stevens returns to Hoboken for a four-game homestand with Tufts University, Drew University, Rowan University, and Middlebury College from March 21 through March 29.
The Ducks then open their Empire 8 slate at Utica College and Alfred University on April 1 and 2 before returning to the De Baun Athletic Complex for five-straight conference games. The Ducks will host Ithaca College, Elmira College, Hartwick College, St. John Fisher College, and Nazareth College on April 9, 10, 16, and 17, respectively, before closing out their Empire 8 slate at Rochester Institute of Technology on April 23. The Ducks will visit The College of New Jersey on April 28 and then turn their attention to the Empire 8 Championship scheduled for May 7 and 8 at the regular-season champion.
Stevens is ranked No. 10 according to the IWLCA Preseason Poll and will face four other teams that made the cut in No. 4 TCNJ, No. 5 Gettysburg, No. 12 Tufts, and No. 14 Middlebury. Last year the Ducks faced three teams when they were in the top 10 going 2-1.
“We have seven NCAA Tournament teams on our schedule from the 2010 field and it will help us gauge where we are and get us ready to play in May,” added Cunningham. “We will be tested throughout our regular season, but I believe with continued hard work, we will reach our goal of getting back to the NCAA’s”
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