Women's Lacrosse Looks For Balance In 2009

WOMEN'S LACROSSE LOOKING FOR BALANCE IN 2009

The right mix of youth and experience is the cornerstone to any successful program.

For the Elms College women's lacrosse team, this blend will be particularly crucial in 2009.

With the loss of its top three scorers from last year's 4-9 team, including Caitlin Childs '08 - the program's second all-time leading scorer - the Blazers will need contributions from both its six returnees and eight newcomers this season.

Despite the graduation of five of its top players, Elms College does return senior defender Katherine Newman (Christ Church, Barbados), junior defender Jessica Shea (South Hadley, MA), junior midfielder Kaitlyn Graham (Paxton, MA), junior defender Ashley Ziemba (West Springfield, MA) and sophomore midfielder Jenn Lough (Feeding Hills, MA).

All five were recently named captains by seventh-year head coach Katie Grabiec and should provide much needed leadership this season.

Lough is the team's top returning scorer, as she netted 13 goals and 18 points in a solid freshman year last season.

Graham, Shea, Ziemba and Newman, meanwhile, combined to scoop up 44 ground balls to add experienced defensive depth for the Blazers.

Elms College will also welcome back junior attack Melissa Pava (Springfield, MA), who did not play last season, but appeared in eight of the Blazers' 11 games in 2007.

The Blazers also welcome in a pair of talented newcomers in freshman attack Katlyn Harrington (East Longmeadow, MA) and sophomore midfielder Melissa Meon (South Hadley, MA).

Both have been solid in the first three games of 2009 for the Blazers, as Harrington has netted a team-leading four goals and seven draw controls, while Meon has added seven ground balls and six draw controls.

Junior midfielder Andromeda Peters (Chicopee, MA), junior attack Toni Martin (New Haven, CT) and freshman midfielder Emily Walsh (Hadley, MA), freshman defender Emily McInerney (Glastonbury, CT) and freshman attack Lynette Reyes (Holyoke, MA) all join the program this season.

The biggest question for the Blazers will be in goal, as freshman Holly Braziel (Shelburne Falls, MA) takes over the netminding duties in 2009. Through the first three games, Braziel has already stopped 33 shots.

SCHEDULE

The good news is the Blazers play six of their first seven games in the friendly confines of Leary Field. Among those opponents, however, includes Little East Conference (LEC) foe Rhode Island College, Smith College out of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) and Castleton - last year's New England Women's Lacrosse Alliance (NEWLA) regular season and postseason tournament runner-up.

Elms College travels east to face perennial league power Bridgewater State in its road opener on March 28. The Bears have won eight of the last 10 NEWLA championships and return both the league's rookie and player of the year.

Following two more home games against Lasell (April 1) and NEWLA foe Becker (April 4), the Blazers hit the road for four straight games that will include crucial league games at Fitchburg State (April 7) and Thomas (April 9).

Elms College will host Westfield State (April 18) and Worcester State (April 25) in its final two regular season NEWLA games and is also slated to play at St. Joseph (CT) (April 20) and Western Connecticut (April 23).

The top four finishers in the eight-team NEWLA then advance to the tournament semifinals on April 29 with the winners to play for the league title and an automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Championship on May 2.

WRAP-UP

The Blazers face a tough early-season schedule that includes games against the NEWLA's top two teams last season.

The team's roster is limited (14 players), and to be successful in the middle and later portions of the season, the Blazers will need to remain healthy.

If it can do so, Elms College has several winnable games in the month of April - an important step toward building for the future.