Lacrosse Magazine has put the finishing touches on its 2010 college preview issue, which mailed US Lacrosse members the first week of February. LM canvassed rival coaches to give us their anonymous take on the top 10 preseason ranked teams for Division I men's and women's lacrosse.
MD1: 10 UND | 9
Hofstra | 8 UMD |
7
Princeton | 6 Cornell
| 5
Hopkins | 4
UNC | 3 UVA |
2
SU | 1
Duke
WD1: 10 Princeton | 9 UND | 8 UVA | 7 SU | 6 Georgetown | 5 Duke | 4 Penn | 3 UNC | 2 UMD | 1 Northwestern
Scouting Report: No. 9 Notre Dame
|
| Gina Scioscia, a threat to score or feed, is Notre Dame's most dynamic offensive threat, "an unbelievable talent," according to one rival coach. |
HEAD COACH: Tracy Coyne
CONFERENCE: Big East
2009 RECORDS: 16-5, 5-2
2010 SCHEDULE: Click
Here
WHO'S BACK
M/A Shaylyn Blaney (Jr.)
Hard to believe this second-team All-American is only a
junior. Coyne was as encouraged by her 46 draw controls as she was
by her 44 goals in '09. "She is becoming more focused on
non-glamorous stats and is recognizing the importance of the
defensive side of playing midfield," Coyne said.
D Rachel Guerrera (Sr.)
Hard to make up for the loss of Shannon Burke (below);
it's up to Guerrera to carry the mantle as Notre Dame's leader on
'D.'
A Gina Scioscia (Sr.)
"Gina is ready to fill the hole left by All-American
Jillian Byers," Coyne said. (No pressure, kid.) Scioscia is the
Irish's most dynamic player, a threat to score (53g) or feed (43a).
She ranked among national leaders in assists.
M Kailene Abt (Jr.)
Blaney got the hype, but classmate Abt actually produced
near-identical numbers in '09, registering 46 goals.
A Ansley Stewart (Jr.)
Stepped up her game big time with 30 goals in '09. If
Scioscia is to be Byers' heir apparent, it could be on Stewart to
fill Abt's shoes as the supporting act on UND attack
WHO'S NOT
M/A Jillian Byers
Irish will miss record-setting scorer, but there's plenty
in the cupboard to absorb the blow. After Byers, the eight leading
scorers return.
D Shannon Burke
Perhaps a more bitter pill to swallow than losing Byers
is losing Burke, the Irish's do-everything defender who led team
with 60 GBs and 44 CTs.
G Erin Goodman
There's no substitute for experience in the cage.
WHO'S NEW
M McKenzie Brown
Top recruit out of Colorado brings championship-caliber experience
(Cherry Creek H.S.), but will likely bide time behind Irish's deep,
experienced midfield corps.
D Emily Conner
Notre Dame has to do most of its rebuilding on the defensive end.
This 5-foot-9 defensive standout from heralded St. Stephens &
St. Agnes (Va.) could be an immediate cog in that.
M Jenny Granger
Coyne loves her some Long Island girls (see Blaney, Byers, Abt),
and this former teammate of Blaney's at Ward Melville is loaded
with potential that Coyne might not want to wait to uncover.
X FACTOR
Since Amy Winik left the team in the fall to focus on her studies, Coyne is left to choose between 5-foot-9 Louise Fauth and 5-foot-2 Ellie Hilling as her starting goalie. The only caveat: both are freshmen. They both come from heralded high school programs -- Fauth from SSSA; Hilling from Brighton, N.Y. Fauth sat out fall ball, so the job could be Hilling's to lose.
RIVAL COACHES' TAKES
"They lost a lot, including Jillian Byers, but they’re
going to surprise some people this year. This Gina Scioscia girl is
an unbelievable talent. And Ellie Hilling is a great young,
freshman goalkeeper."
"They have good athleticism and good young players. They could be
a contender, even though people will overlook them a little
bit."
"They took a big step forward last year. Have more depth in their
talent level. Pieces to their puzzle fit now."
