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Women’s Lacrosse Holds High Expectations for 2009 Season; Ducks Open Sunday versus Farmingdale
The Stevens Institute of Technology women's lacrosse team is coming off of a very successful 2008 campaign where they fell just shy of an appearance in the NCAA Division III Championship. Stevens finished 14-6 overall and 6-2 in its first season in the highly competitive Empire 8 and entered the conference championship as the third seed. The Ducks reached the championship game before falling to Ithaca College in a heartbreaker. They went on to the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Metro Tournament and won the championship, defeating No. 13 Dickinson College in the final and will look to build upon last year and reach the NCAA Tournament in ’09.
Head Women’s Lacrosse Coach Celine Cunningham (Union City, N.J.) will look to her four captains to draw upon their experiences over the past several years and lead the team back to the national tournament for the first time since 2005. This year, the Ducks will be led by a quartet of seniors; defender Cassidy Callahan (Skaneateles, N.Y.), goalkeeper Grace Sack (Cazenovia, N.Y.), attack Dana Perriello (Pittsburgh, Pa.), and defender Ali Palen (Walden, N.Y.).
Callahan will be a captain for the second-straight season and has been a four-year starter for the Ducks. An athletic defender, Callahan’s impact will be felt all over the field. She has played in 54 games in her career and has been extremely consistent throughout. She has accumulated 111 ground balls, 60 draw controls, and 52 caused turnovers coming into the season and will surely add to those totals in 2009. She is the vocal leader of the Stevens “D” and is also someone that will be looked upon in transition.
Sack played behind four-time all-conference goalkeeper Stephanie Linder for her first three seasons at Stevens and has used that experience as a backup to make herself that much more prepared heading into this year, where she will get the chance to showcase her abilities as a starter. Coach Cunningham describes Sack as “selfless” and “extremely hard-working” and is eager to see the senior in net.
Perriello is a strong lefty that is the vocal leader of the squad. She has scored 66 goals and assisted on 19 others in her career and those numbers should increase in her final season. A strong shot, Cunningham and the coaching staff will look for Perriello to be a field general and display her experience and maturity on the turf all year.
The final captain is Ali Palen who will be looking to develop into a take-away defender this season. She provides a great example in the weight room and in the classroom as she is an Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association Academic All-American. She has played in 51 games in her career, tallying three goals from the back line.
All four captains were freshmen in 2006 when the team finished 5-11. They stuck with the program and bought into a system that helped the squad to one of the best seasons in program history a year ago. Stevens returns all but three starters from 2008 and 72 percent of its scoring so the bar is set high for 2009.
Attack
Leading the Stevens offensive attack will be junior All-American Alyssa Pigott (Jobstown, N.J.). Pigott earned All-American distinction from three different women’s lacrosse publications for her outstanding sophomore campaign and is only improving. She had 67 goals and 27 helpers last season and is on the verge of crossing the 150-point threshold for her career. Pigott is a fantastic athlete that makes the players around her better. The increased attention she will get from other teams should open up her teammates.
Sophomore Leah Wasserman (Monmouth Beach, N.J.) was second on the team with 56 goals last season and will look to continue to grow as a player this year. The ECAC Metro Championship MVP is described as a very clutch player and should develop into a big-time force this season. Wasserman improved a great deal over the course of her freshman season and the coaching staff expects her to become a go-to player this year.
Sophomore Karen Federico (West Islip, N.Y.) is a newcomer to the squad, but should contribute from the start of the year as she has a great stick, deceptive speed, and can shoot from either side.
Junior Katie Lalli (Princeton Junction, N.J.) has had strong preseason and is also expected to have a big season for the Ducks. Lalli enters the year with 63 career scores and 19 assists. A player with a lot of strength, Lalli was the most effective on free-position shots last year and always seems to find a way to work in traffic and get a shot on net.
Sophomore Pamela Loria (New Providence, N.J.) has an extremely hard shot and scored 11 goals in 17 games play last season. She has a great motor and is instant energy whenever in the game.
“We have a lot of experience on the offensive side of the ball, and I really expect us to be able to score some goals this season,” said Cunningham. “We have a nice blend of players with many different strengths that should cause matchup problems for many of our opponents.”
Midfield
Like the attack, the Stevens midfield should be strong in 2009. Leading the way will be 2008 all-conference selection Christine Smith (East Northport, N.Y.). Smith was fourth on the team in points, tallying 52 goals and eight assists in 20 games. A strong presence in the middle of the field, Smith will be expected to have a big impact on draw controls all season. She has a great stick and the ability to go coast-to-coast at any time.
Junior Kara Borzillo (Mount Laurel, N.J.) started all 20 games in 2008. She is a strong player that is excellent in transition and has a knack for scoring clutch goals. The two-sport star also does a nice job creating space and having an impact all over the field. Sophomore Sloane Collins (Boonton Township, N.J.) is very athletic and like Smith, has the ability to take it coast-to-coast at any time. An excellent transition player, Collins has strong stick skills and is known as one of the hardest workers on the team. Collins saw action in nine games as a rookie, tallying two scores and helping on another.
Freshman Jenna Scheibling (Long Valley, N.J.) played attack in high school but will be looked upon to play all over the field for the Ducks. She has a great stick and can shoot and feed with both hands in addition to having great vision. The rookie has also shown the ability to escape traffic with excellent elusiveness. Freshman Ashley Carey (Mahopac, N.Y.) has great raw athletic ability and is a tenacious player with great energy. Carey has good speed and should develop into a solid contributor as the year moves along.
Defense
Stevens has a great deal of depth on defense with a variety of versatile players that can contribute on both ends of the field. In addition to the two captains, the Stevens defense will be led by junior Fionuala Quinn (Succasunna, N.J.) who has great height and reach. Quinn is a midfielder by trade with a great shot, but should reach her complete potential on the defensive side of the ball. She makes good decisions with the ball and is strong in transition because her size makes for a great target.
Sophomore Kate Cox (Aston, Pa.) is back after a stellar freshman season. Cox has deceptive speed and the ability to make an impact all over the field but will be asked to help anchor the Ducks’ defense. Sophomore Erin Boosman (Branchburg, N.J.) made the most of her minutes last year and should continue to earn more and more time this season. An aggressive player that makes opponents uncomfortable, Boosman will be looked upon to establish a key role on defense.
Junior Sam Zucker (Westfield, N.J.) has a nose for the ball and came up with some very clutch ground balls in 2008. Coach Cunningham expects her to be a leader of the program as she is a great communicator on and off the field. Freshman Lindsay Daly (Kings Park, N.Y.) comes from a strong high school program and will look to get in the mix as she possesses great stick skills and is also strong in transition.
Junior Shannon McFadden (Baltimore, Md.) will serve as the backup goalkeeper. Relatively new to the position, McFadden is very athletic and coachable. She is fearless and eager to elevate her game.
Schedule
The Ducks open with two games at home before visiting Cabrini College on March 6 and Montclair State University on March 10. The Ducks return home for national power Amherst College on March 17 and after one more non-conference road contest, will open up Empire 8 play at Utica College on March 28. The first conference home game is versus Ithaca College on April 4, and the women’s lacrosse Duck Country game will be April 19 versus Nazareth College.
After closing out the conference regular-season, the Ducks will take on national title contender The College of New Jersey. The Empire 8 Championship will be on May 2 and 3 at a place and time to be determined.
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