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Heron Lax in good shape for 2007
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Senior Sarah Dillon has led the Heron offense for the past two years. (Photo by Kevin Colton) |
March 5, 2007
GENEVA, N.Y.—With nine starters and 16 veterans returning from last year, the William Smith College lacrosse team is looking good. After posting an impressive 7-1 Liberty League record, the 2006 Herons finished the regular season as the top team in the conference. Ranked 18th in the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association’s (IWLCA) preseason poll, the Herons look to build upon last season’s 10-6 mark. As the host for the 2007 NCAA Division III Women’s Lacrosse Championship, William Smith will make a push to play on its home turf May 19-20.
The task will not come easily, as the Herons will meet seven nationally-ranked opponents in 2007, including three from the Liberty League: Union (16th), Hamilton (19th), and Skidmore (22nd). Additionally, William Smith will take on non-conference challengers Cortland (6th), Franklin and Marshall (7th), Dickinson (14th), and Nazareth (17th) throughout the course of the season.
William Smith lost three key players from last year to graduation. Midfielder Jessica Tanner ’06, Louise Greenwood ’06 at attack, and Jenn Davidson ’06 on defense. Tanner and Greenwood will be sorely missed on the offensive end. Tanner was second on the team in scoring (21 goals-8 assists) and ground balls (48), while Greenwood was third in goals scored with 20. Davidson ranked fourth on the team in ground balls with 33, and added two goals last spring.
Four of the Herons’ top five scorers return to the fold. Senior midfielder Sarah Dillon (Blair Academy/Oldwick, N.J.) returns after leading the Heron offense for the past two seasons. A tri-captain, Dillon tallied 38 goals and seven assists for 45 points last spring and enters her final year just four points shy of 100 career points. Joining her in the midfield is classmate and tri-captain Jessica Scott (Waynflete School/Portland, Maine), who totaled 25 points in 2006, and junior Rachel Stahl (Charles W. Baker/Baldwinsville, N.Y.) (23 points). Also stepping up at midfield are sophomores Lauren Peters (Dana Hall Schooll/Dedham, Mass.) and Amber Drumm (Tully/Tully, N.Y.), both of whom are great in transition and provide a constant offensive threat. Senior Jane Erickson (Douglas County/Castle Rock, Colo.) recently returned from studying abroad and has the ability to fill in wherever she is needed.
At attack, junior tri-captain Jesse McKenna (Middlesex School/Wenham, Mass.) and sophomore Michaela Parnell (Guilford/Guilford, Conn.) will lead the Herons. McKenna ranked first on the team in assists last season with 20, while Parnell chipped in with nine goals and two helpers. Both are talented playmakers who drive to the net well and are good at directing the offense. Sophomores Nina Sperry (Daniel Hand/Madison, Conn.) and Caitlin Leone (Auburn/Auburn, N.Y.) return on attack as well. Sperry played in nine games last year and is an aggressive, ambidextrous player with a good shot, while Leone uses her height to challenge on attack. She played in 12 games last spring, starting five.
The Herons return two outstanding goalkeepers in junior Morgan Baird (Pingree School/Gloucester, Mass.) and sophomore Becky Josefiak (West Seneca East/West Seneca, N.Y.). Last season Baird posted a 10-6 record and a 8.70 goals against average, while Josefiak gained experience playing in four games as a rookie.
Defensively, the Herons bring back junior Sarah Davidson (South Burlington/South Burlington, Vt.) and sophomore Torie Allen (Governor Dummer Academy/Dedham, Mass.). Both started all 16 games for William Smith last spring. Davidson collected a team-high 49 ground balls and led the team with 22 caused turnovers, while Allen picked up 39 GBs. Sophomore Karin LeBlanc (Conard/West Hartford, Conn.) will challenge for a starting role on defense after playing in 13 games as a rookie, while all-around defender junior Bridget Millard (Manhasset/Manhasset, N.Y.) adds flexibility and depth.
Longtime Head Coach Pat Genovese will look to seven first-years to help fill holes left by Tanner, Davidson, and Greenwood. Kate Harrington (Morristown-Beard/Bernardsville, N.J.) and Molly Fitzgerald (Gould Academy/Sudbury, Mass.) are both expected to make immediate impacts. Look for Harrington to step in on the defensive end, while Fitzgerald, the sister of former William Smith defender Meghan Fitzgerald ’04, will likely add to the offense at attack.
Additionally, first-years Margeaux Harrold (Choate Rosemary/Chicago, Ill.), Sarah Goodkind (Millbrook School/Riverside, Conn.), Medora Hartz (Mercersburg Academy/Orlean, Va.), Brittany Callaghan (St. Luke’s School/Armonk, N.Y.), and Bridget MacBain (Lincoln School/Portsmouth, R.I.) will all look to contribute. Harrold and MacBain are both coming off injuries, but have the potential to be versatile players. Hartz and Callaghan will add speed and athleticism to the midfield, while Goodkind will put her center draw skills to work for the Herons.
William Smith will open the 2007 season in Wellington, Fla., where it will meet 14th-ranked Dickinson at 9 a.m. on March 13, and seventh-ranked Franklin & Marshall on March 15 at 4:30 p.m.