Season opener Saturday for new-look laxers
Sports Information Department – 112 Dods Hall
Phone (716) 673-3100 / Fax (716) 673-3136
CONTACT: Jerry Reilly,
Sports Information Director
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Women's Lacrosse
FREDONIA, N.Y. -- The 2009 Fredonia State women's lacrosse season begins Saturday with a home game vs. Hartwick College.
The Blue Devils are coming off their best season in program history -- accomplishments that will be tough to follow -- in which they made the SUNYAC Tournament for the first time and broke 13 team and individual records. Seven seniors, including three All SUNYAC performers, plus the reigning SUNYAC co-player of the year and the SUNYAC rookie of the year will need to replaced.
Head coach Chris Case, voted the 2008 SUNYAC Coach of the Year, and his assistant, Jill Battaglia, have spent the preseason trying out replacements from the influx of young, talented newcomers and returning players.
The Blue Devils will be led by co-captains Stephanie Maderer (Orchard Park) and Katie Monaghan (Fairport). Maderer, a medical redshirt as a sophomore, is a senior who will be asked to be a prominent leader on the field as well as to help key the transition game. She had 10 goals and five assists last season, while Monaghan had 24 goals and her 21 assists put her on the all-time single season chart. She is also moving up in the career assists list and will be called on to help the Blue Devil attack.
Other top players for the Blue Devils are junior Valerie Snider (Spencerport), a smart, quick, and aggressive midfielder who we will look to key the transition along with Maderer; and freshman midfielder Amanda Whaley (Fairport), who all bring strong sticks and great speed to the field.
On the attacking end, the Blue Devils return sophomore Laura Culhane (Rochester/Gates-Chili), who had 24 goals and 18 assists, along with sophomore Emily Fink (Penfield), whose 2008 season was cut short due to injury after she had tallied six goals and nine assists. The Blue Devils will look to talented freshmen Morgan McNamara (Oswego) and Amy Simon (Amherst) for their attacking skills and strong sticks. Rounding out the attacking end will be junior Nicole Williams (West Seneca/West Seneca West), and freshmen Sara Ceraso (Bellmore/Wellington C. Mepham), Karli Brinthaupt (Horseheads), and Alyssa Cannarozzo (Brockport).
Defensively, the graduation of four starting low defenders plus the goalkeeper has the Blue Devils ready to move on to a younger group. The returning defender along with Maderer and Snider is sophomore Stacey Morgan (Lancaster), who brings a strong aggressive style of defense that the Blue Devils will need. They will be joined by freshmen Megan Mietelski (Fairport) and Colleen George (West Seneca/West Seneca East), both, smart, quick, and aggressive defenders. Sophomore Christine Domres (Buffalo/Amherst) will also be looked upon defensively and will be relied on for their aggressivness in the back end.
Rounding out the defensive end for the Blue Devils will be freshman goalie Nicole Faulise (Buffalo/Mount St. Mary), a quick and fearless threat in the net.
Saturday's opener vs. Hartwick -- 1 p.m. on the turf field at University Stadium -- is one of six home games on the 2009 schedule. The Blue Devils will also entertain Wooster (March 27) in a non-conference game as well as SUNYAC opponents Oneonta (April 4), Morrisville State (April 7), Cortland (April 11), and Geneseo (April 28).
Road trips include a pair of games during the Spring Fling at West Palm Beach, Fla. -- March 13 vs. Curry, and March 18 vs. Keene State. The Blue Devils take non-conference road trips to Oberlin (March 31) , Allegheny (April 9), Rochester Institute of Technology (April 16), and Elmira (April 23), and visit the following SUNYAC schools: Oswego (April 2), Brockport (April 14), Potsdam (April 18), Buffalo State (April 21), and New Paltz (April 25).
The four-team SUNYAC Tournament is May 1-2 on the home field of the highest seed.