Junior midfielder Ali Herter is one of six returning starters for the Herons this season.

February 13, 2004

GENEVA, N.Y.—William Smith College lacrosse team will start the 2004 season ranked fifth in the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association preseason poll. The 2003 national runner-up, Middlebury College sits atop the rankings, while Amherst, College of New Jersey, and Salisbury round out the top four.

Head Coach Pat Genovese led the 2003 squad to the NCAA Semifinals for the 11th time in the program’s history, posting a 16-3 record. The Herons return six starters from a team that captured the UCAA Championship with a perfect 10-0 record, including the inaugural UCAA Tournament.

Senior attacker Gretchen Lasda (West Genesee/Camillus, N.Y.) is William Smith’s top returning scorer. A 2003 IWLCA second-team All-Region selection, she scored 24 goals and assisted on a team-high 30 in 19 starts. She also led the Herons with 71 ground balls. Her 69 career helpers ranks sixth all-time and is just eight shy of the second spot.

Anchoring the defense will be senior goalie Rebecca Splain (Middlebury Union/Middlebury, Vt.). Also a second-team All-Region selection last season, she finished seventh in the nation in goals against average (6.51) and was second in the UCAA in save percentage (.568). Splain’s 426 career saves rank fifth on the all-time list, while her 6.59 goals against average over three years is second all-time.

In addition to conference foes, the William Smith schedule features three other ranked teams. The Herons will take on No. 13 Franklin & Marshall on March 17, in West Palm Beach, Fla., No. 11 Ithaca College on April 4, in Geneva, and No. 12 Cortland on April 20, also in Geneva.

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