Castleton Women Eyeing Further Success
from press release
CASTLETON, Vt. - Coming off of a successful 2009 campaign
and with 12 games scheduled at the new Spartan Stadium, the
Castleton State College women's lacrosse team is excited to start
the 2010 season.
Last season, the Spartans earned many honors in both conferences
and throughout the NCAA. Castleton ranked 6th overall in Division
III for scoring last spring averaging 17.1 goals scored per game.
And aside from the high scoring games, the Spartans led the country
in Division III for draw controls averaging 17.1 per game.
Despite losing five impact seniors from last season's squad that
made it to the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) championship game
and Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) championship
game, Castleton will return several NAC and New England Women's
Lacrosse Alliance (NEWLA) All-Conference players for 2010.
Nicole Adams (Rutland, VT), last season's leading point-getter with
53 goals and 42 assists (95 points), returns to the club as a
graduate student. Adams earned First-Team All-Conference honors and
the NEWLA Academic Scholar-Athlete of the Year award last
spring.
In addition to Adams, seniors Aimee Goulette (Baldwinsville, NY),
Stephanie Pearce (Shoreham, NY), Kristen Rochler (Shoreham, NY) and
Kayla Twigge (Almonte, Ontario) are all returning to complete their
final season, serving as leaders both on and off the field.
Rochler, a steady defender for the Spartans, earned NAC First-Team
All-Conference honors last season starting in 18 games, scoring
seven goals and collecting 28 groundballs. Pearce also received NAC
All-Conference honors serving as an integral part of Castleton's
offense. In 2009, Pearce was second on the team in goals with 59
and dished out 26 assists finishing third overall in points with
85.
Goulette will be looked upon this season as one of the cornerstone
players for the Spartans. Last spring, Goulette contributed 12
goals and three assists. Twigge, a defensive threat for Castleton,
collected 18 groundballs last season.
Along with the senior leadership, the coaching staff is looking
forward to the skill and talent of the underclassmen. 2009 NAC and
NEWLA Player of the Year, Marie VanDerKar (Manchester, VT) will be
returning for her third season as a fundamental part of both the
attacking and defensive side of the field. VanDerKar led Castleton
offensively scoring 77 goals last season finishing second on the
team in points with 92.
Joining VanDerKar are returning starters Liz Haggerty (Centerport,
NY) Angelica Mazzola (Centerport, NY) and Stephanie Paprski
(Newton, CT). Other returning team members include Denise Cardell
(North Babylon, NY), Becki Duszak (Cazenovia, NY) and Jen Macari
(Central Islip, NY) who will look to contribute as well. Also, the
Spartans are excited to welcome seven new players to the roster who
will be impact players.
The Spartans kickoff their 2010 schedule on March 6, on the road,
against Western Connecticut State College at 12:00 p.m. Castleton
will play its first of 12 home contests on March 13 at 12:00 p.m.
against Thomas College. A rematch of the last two NEWLA Tournament
Finals against Bridgewater State is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. on
April 3 in
Castleton.
