Is This The Year Salisbury's Women Win It All?
from press release
SALISBURY, Md. -- The weather might have
affected any other lacrosse team, but it certainly didn't stop the
Salisbury University women's lacrosse squad from putting in the
time to prepare to win the program's first NCAA Division III
national title. Last year, Salisbury advanced to the championship
game for the third time in program history, but suffered a
heartbreaking 11-10 overtime loss to Franklin & Marshall
College.
Head coach Jim Nestor sees the loss as something to keep in mind
throughout this season. "It's our underlying motivation to win the
title," said Nestor, who is entering his ninth season as the
women's lacrosse head coach at Salisbury, his Alma Mater. "It was
in our grasp, and it is still the goal that we're trying to
accomplish."
ATTACK
New freshman talent may be on the roster, but Salisbury will be
relying on its top three veteran attackers to propel the Sea Gulls
back to the Final Four. Senior Kim Cudmore (Bel Air, Md.) as well
as juniors Logan Bilderback (Arnold, Md.) and Meagan Osipowich
(Hauppauge, N.Y.) will be names to look out for, not only for their
talent on the field, but their guidance off of the field. "Our
upperclassmen, especially our seniors, will definitely be looked to
for leadership," said Nestor.
The trio of attackers contributed to Salisbury's tremendous
offensive success last year, scoring a combined 90 goals. Of those
three, Bilderback and Osipowich led in scoring, each notching 32
goals on the season. Cudmore played only half the season due to
injury, but she certainly left her mark on the statistics; her 26
goals and 29 assists helped the maroon and gold become recognized
as one of the top Division III offensive teams in the nation.
MIDFIELD
The midfield may boast the highest number of players on the
roster, but the quantity isn't necessarily as important as the
quality. "We have a lot of depth in the midfield this year," said
Nestor. "Part of that new depth includes incoming freshmen, and
they're really going to help us improve as a team. A few of them
are definitely going to see some playing time."
Names to watch for include newcomer Roxanne Raab (Fallston, Md.)
as well as veteran Jess Chmielewski (Woodbine, Md.), who will be
playing in her final season in maroon and gold. Chmielewski's
impact will be felt this year more than last year, as an injury
limited her to play only six games in 2009. In those six games,
though, the midfielder registered 26 points on 15 goals and 11
assists. Another star midfielder, Beth Rhodey (Fallston, Md.), was
the second-leading scorer on the team as 54 of her shots found the
back of the opposing goalie's net.
GOALIE
In between the pipes, the Sea Gulls will be replacing goalie Sonja
Stuart (Rockville, Md.), who had an outstanding senior season in
2009. Stuart played in 21 games, starting all of them, for a total
of over 1,163 minutes; she boasted a 7.94 goals against average
(GAA) and notched 141 saves. Three of the team's goalies this year,
freshmen Keli Berkman (Salisbury, Md.), Caity Coleman (South
Huntington, N.Y.) and Ali Meeks (Pasadena, Md.), are expected to
bring new energy and talent into the cage. In addition to the
freshman trio, junior Julie Ann Caulfield (Drexel Hill, Pa.) will
use the experience of her eight games played last season to give
Salisbury a defensive edge.
DEFENSE
Salisbury's rock-solid defense will welcome the addition of two
Division I transfers; newcomers Annie Politsch (Baltimore, Md.) and
local talent Kristen Chandler (Salisbury, Md.) will supplement the
Sea Gulls' nationally-ranked defense. "They are really going to
help us defensively," said Nestor. Last year, Salisbury averaged
11.09 caused turnovers per game, good for 21st in the country, and
also boasted a No.6 ranked team goals against average (7.77).
In addition to the new faces on the defensive squad, the return of
senior defenders Jess Glazer (Ellicott City, Md.) and Sarah
McKinley (Timonium, Md.) will certainly take some pressure off of
the new face in between the pipes.
SCHEDULE
"We have a good schedule this year," said Nestor. "I'm glad we got
Union College on the schedule. That, along with playing Washington
& Lee College early on, will help us become stronger as a
team." The Sea Gulls will also have their chance at redemption on
March 20, when they square off against reigning NCAA national
champions Franklin & Marshall.
In terms of conference play, Salisbury will face-off against seven
different Capital Athletic Conference opponents this year. Last
season, the Gulls went a perfect 7-0 against CAC opponents,
capturing their seventh consecutive (ninth overall) CAC
championship.
SUMMARY
The Sea Gulls will definitely be a team to look out for in the
NCAA tournament. With a competitive schedule, along with talented
and experienced group of veterans, plus a host of young freshman
talent, Salisbury's solid roster will allow for a variety of
players for Nestor and his coaching staff to utilize. The maroon
and gold have set their sights on the prize once again, but they
know it won't be without a fight. "Our overall goal is to improve
each game," said Nestor. "We want to get back to the Final Four. We
want to win."
