February 4, 2010

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.

WD1: 10 Princeton | 9 UND | 8 UVA | 7 SU | 6 Georgetown | 5 Duke | 4 Penn | 3 UNC | 2 UMD | 1 Northwestern

Scouting Report: No. 3 North Carolina (Women)

North Carolina has arguably the best two-way midfielder in the country in senior Jenn Russell.

HEAD COACH: Jenny Levy
CONFERENCE: ACC
2009 RECORDS: 16-5, 4-1
2010 SCHEDULE: Click Here

WHO'S BACK

M Jenn Russell (Sr.)
Player of the year candidate might be the best two-way midfielder in the country. The Tar Heels' top defender continued to emerge on the offensive end with a team-high 38 goals in 2009. Fast and tough, with unusual lateral quickness, her 40 ground balls are most among returnees.
A Kristen Taylor (Sr.)
Never at full strength last season after a battle with celiac disease in the fall of ‘08, she still managed 37g, 12a. Best in the clutch, boasts six game-winnning goals — twice as many as any teammate. Healthy, happy and motivated.
D Mia Hurrin (Jr.)
Quiet leader with speed to burn and tremendous marking ability. The hunt for Amber Falcone’s successor on line defense begins with Hurrin.
M Megan Bosica (Sr.)
You could make the case for UNC's midfield unit as tops in the country, starting with Russell and then with Bosica, who led the Tar Heels with 57 points (36g, 21a) and shots taken (108).
D/M Kristen Carr (Sr.)
UNC's most athletic middie lines up on the defensive side and is simply solid. Carr reined in 58 draws in 2009, tops among Tar Heels.

WHO'S NOT

D Amber Falcone
Dynamic U.S. World Cup team defender was one of the best ever at her position, finishing her college career strong with team highs of 54 ground balls and 33 caused turnovers.
A Chelsea Parks
The only one of UNC's top eight scorers that does not return. She'll be missed, but the Tar Heels' offensive depth is unquestioned.

WHO'S NEW

G Lauren Maksym
First team All-American Logan Ripley has the starting nod after leading UNC to the NCAA championship game last year, but Maksym comes highly recruited from Long Island and waits in the wings.
M Emily Garrity
Levy was impressed with her performance in the fall, specifically against the U.S. at Stars and Stripes Weekend, and she may need to make room on her stacked midfield for some time for the standout freshman.

X FACTOR

Were Laura Zimmerman's heroics against Maryland in the NCAA semifinals a fluke, or is she for real? Zimmerman came off the bench to score a team-high three goals in the Tar Heels' upset of the previously unbeaten Terps. She totalled 12 goals a year ago and could again be the hidden gem in a deep midfield corps.

RIVAL COACHES' TAKES

"They’re athletic and fast. They’ve been a strong defensive team in the past."

"They return a lot of experience kind of all over the field. I think a lot of their offense is intact. They return quite a bit."

"Offensively, they are loaded. Most of their seniors have already been playing for two or three years. The confidence they developed over last year will allow them to play with a chip on the shoulders this year."