Womens lacrosse seeks return to championship
Matt Spillane
Issue date: 3/4/10 Section: Sports
The Marist women's lacrosse team wants revenge.
Two years removed from a MAAC championship, the Red Foxes went 12-5 in 2009 but dropped a 19-9 decision to Fairfield in the title game a year ago.
Marist has a goal of exacting revenge in 2010, but it will have to reach it with new faces.
Picked to finish third in the MAAC preseason poll, the Red Foxes graduated five starters, including their top three scorers. With 57 percent of its scoring gone, Marist will have to rely on a balanced attack.
Its go-to scorer will be senior midfield Lauren Ciccarello, who enters the season as Marist's lone preseason All-MAAC selection. A second-team selection a year ago, Ciccarello was fourth on the team with 25 goals and 37 points. She will look to spread the ball around even more this season.
"Scoring could come from anybody, which is beneficial," she said. "Anybody can be a threat."
Senior midfielders Erin Wilson and Lindsey Rinefierd will also be relied upon on the offensive end. The two tallied 31 and 23 points, respectively, in 2009.
Morgan Dillon, a senior co-captain with Wilson, is a returning starter who will be taking on a bigger role offensively. The midfielder, who tied for fourth on the team with 30 groundballs in 2009, scored just five goals in 2009 but has taken more initiative in her offensive role.
"Morgan is going to be much more of an attacker this year," head coach Laura Campbell said. "She's got a little confidence taking it to the cage. She's just an exciting player to watch."
The offense will be guided by first-year assistant coach Hannah Rudloff, who has implemented new offensive plays and given the offense more structure. Dillon said that the new approach will allow the players to utilize more of their strengths and stick skills, as well as employ a style of play that relies more on personnel and less on one-on-one ability.
"We need to control the tempo for 60 minutes," Dillon said. "We had lapses a lot of times last year."
Two years removed from a MAAC championship, the Red Foxes went 12-5 in 2009 but dropped a 19-9 decision to Fairfield in the title game a year ago.
Marist has a goal of exacting revenge in 2010, but it will have to reach it with new faces.
Picked to finish third in the MAAC preseason poll, the Red Foxes graduated five starters, including their top three scorers. With 57 percent of its scoring gone, Marist will have to rely on a balanced attack.
Its go-to scorer will be senior midfield Lauren Ciccarello, who enters the season as Marist's lone preseason All-MAAC selection. A second-team selection a year ago, Ciccarello was fourth on the team with 25 goals and 37 points. She will look to spread the ball around even more this season.
"Scoring could come from anybody, which is beneficial," she said. "Anybody can be a threat."
Senior midfielders Erin Wilson and Lindsey Rinefierd will also be relied upon on the offensive end. The two tallied 31 and 23 points, respectively, in 2009.
Morgan Dillon, a senior co-captain with Wilson, is a returning starter who will be taking on a bigger role offensively. The midfielder, who tied for fourth on the team with 30 groundballs in 2009, scored just five goals in 2009 but has taken more initiative in her offensive role.
"Morgan is going to be much more of an attacker this year," head coach Laura Campbell said. "She's got a little confidence taking it to the cage. She's just an exciting player to watch."
The offense will be guided by first-year assistant coach Hannah Rudloff, who has implemented new offensive plays and given the offense more structure. Dillon said that the new approach will allow the players to utilize more of their strengths and stick skills, as well as employ a style of play that relies more on personnel and less on one-on-one ability.
"We need to control the tempo for 60 minutes," Dillon said. "We had lapses a lot of times last year."
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