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. 8 Virginia (Women)
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ACC draw controls leader Brittany Kalkstein returns as a senior captain for the No. 8-ranked Cavaliers. © Max Turner |
HEAD COACH: Julie Myers
CONFERENCE: ACC
2009 RECORDS: 11-8, 2-3
2010 SCHEDULE: Click Here
WHO'S BACK
M Kaitlin Duff (Sr.)
All-American lefty uses her speed to ignite transition
opportunities and unorthodox shooting style to capitalize on them.
Scored 34 goals and added 18 assists in '09. Defended well, too,
causing a team-high 41 turnovers.
M Brittany Kalkstein (Sr.)
All-American and ACC's draw controls leader (73 DCs) will be
looked to for senior leadership as captin.
D Liz Downs (Jr.)
Breakout season looms for UVA's top defender, who has started
every game of her career.
A Whit Hagerman (Sr.)
Lanky attacker is an easy target to find on Cavaliers' attack
(25g, four game-winners), but who's going to get her the ball?
G Lauren Benner (Jr.)
Incumbent (10.06 GAA, .408 sv. pct.), recently cleared after
offseason shoulder surgery, will be contested by freshman in the
cage.
WHO'S NOT
M Blair Weymouth
Wahoos will miss their top threat to go to goal and the free
position opportunities she yielded.
A Ashley McCulloch
UVA needs to find someone to set the table (33 assists in '09) in
her absence. (See Josie Owen, below.)
A Jenny Hauser
Crafty lefty was a major force for UVA.
WHO'S NEW
A Kelly Austin
Heralded recruit and daughter of fitness celebrity Denise Austin
could bear immediate impact as UVA looks to reload on attack. Won
the 2008 Heather Leigh Albert award as the top player in the
Schoolgirl Division of the US Lacrosse Women's Division National
Tournament.
M Erin Laschinger
Accolades abound for this three-time US Lacrosse high school
All-American; expectations follow.
X FACTOR
It's time for 2007 U.S. U-19 team hero Josie Owen to shine. She'll get the keys to Virginia's offense in 2010. She scored six goals and added 10 assists while seeing action in 18 games last year, but will step in as a starter this year. “Josie should be the face of our attack. She’ll be a dynamic force behind the goal,” Myers said.
RIVAL COACHES' TAKES
"Virginia is very patient on offense. They’re good at
connecting, at moving the ball from one of the end field to the
other."
"They have the talent to get back to the upper echelon after a
down year."
