Posted: Feb 26, 2016

Women's Lacrosse Voted Fourth In Preseason Coaches' Poll

ATTLEBORO, Mass. – The Elms College women's lacrosse squad was voted fourth in the 2016 New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Women's Lacrosse Coaches' Preseason Poll, announced by the league office Friday afternoon. The Blazers collected 44 total points, finishing just one point behind Becker College for third place.

The Blazers are returning 16 players from their 2015 edition, which posted a 7-10 overall record, with a 4-3 mark in conference play, earning the fourth-seed in the conference tournament. Senior Jillian Pirog (Ludlow, Mass.) is coming off a junior campaign where she netted 51 points and 46 goals, the third-most goals and fifth-most points in a single season in program history, en route to an All-NECC First Team. Senior Ashley Cava (Wilbraham, Mass.) notched the second-most assists in program history with 20, paired with 20 goals, while sophomore Jackie Soucia (Belchertown, Mass.) started all 17 games as a freshman with 11 goals and a team-high 64 draw controls and 33 ground balls. Junior Meeghan O'Connor (Fall River, Mass.) is back patrolling the goal crease for the Blazers, along with seniors Emily Brown (Agawam, Mass.) and Danielle Jez (Westfield, Mass.) on the defensive line.

Regis College lands the top spot in the NECC Women's Lacrosse Preseason Coaches' Poll with 64 points including all of the first place votes.

The Pride have a balanced mix of season veterans and promising newcomers that hope to make a big impression this spring. Regis has a big void to fill as they graduated the 2015 NECC Player of the Year Grace Politis. The Pride will look to senior Sam Salamone to continue her spark on their offense this season.

Landing second in the polls was Wheelock College, who looks to avenge their loss to Regis in the 2015 NECC Championship. The Wildcats will look to the reigning NECC Goalkeeper of the year, junior Meghan Lewis to anchor their defense this season. Wheelock's offense will be paced by senior attacker Emma Marrs.

The race for third was tight between Becker College and Elms College as they finished with 45 and 44 points respectively. The Hawks return six of their starters from a season ago including senior attacker Kailee Ruyack who earned 2015 NECC All Conference honors.

Southern Vermont took the fifth spot tallying 28 points, as they start their second varsity season of women's lacrosse. Junior Lauren Nesshoeverreturns as a key contributor on the defensive end for the Mountaineers.

Finishing sixth in the Polls was Mitchell College with 23 points. The Mariners will look to junior Ashley Murtha to lead them offensively as she did a year ago. Mitchell College will also look to first-year head coach Chelsea Phillips for guidance throughout the season.

Rounding out the polls was Bay Path University with 18 points and Daniel Webster College with 12 points.

Women's Lacrosse begins their season on Saturday, February 27^th with non-conference matchups. All eight teams open their NECC schedule on Wednesday, March 30^th. Regis will head to Daniel Webster; Mitchell will travel to Bay Path; Becker is set to host Southern Vermont and Elms will host Wheelock.

2016 NECC Women's Lacrosse Preseason Coaches' Poll