Lacrosse Returning 8 Starters From '08 Squad
Lauren Boehnlein
Issue date: 2/18/09 Section: Sports
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Rotunda Editors
Returning eight starters and 17 letterwinners from a 6-10 season, women's lacrosse head coach Janet Grubbs is looking for experience to lead a turnaround this season. "We have the best team we have ever had. … We are looking for a winning season, and we want to knock some of the top 20 out," said head coach Janet Grubbs. The Lancers will have a chance to take out one of those top 20 teams when the open the season against William and Mary (W&M) at 4 p.m. today in Williamsburg.
Freshman low attacker Emily Gartell had bold predictions for the upcoming season, saying, "I think we look pretty strong physically and team oriented this year and will definitely have a 17-0 season." To get that 17-0 season off to the right start, the Lancers will have to overcome a W&M team that has dominated the all-time series at 15-1, including a 22-26 win last year in Farmville.
The team is looking forward to the upcoming season and expecting big things. "This season I think is going to be the best season Longwood lacrosse has ever seen," said sophomore attacker Cara O'Brien. "We have a solid freshman class and all returning starters. We have been working incredibly hard preseason in order to be ready to beat our upcoming hard schedule."
Senior attacker Lauren Barnaba added, "This season is our season to shine. With a challenging schedule and a strong roster, we have the potential to upset many teams this season. We will win games this season by playing smart, aggressive, and putting up a fight all over the field."
With eight of the 12 starters returning Grubbs said, "If I had to choose one word to sum up this upcoming season, it would have to be experience." Junior midfielder/defender Carlie Nethken said, "We have a lot more experience this year and are looking a lot stronger than past years. Everyone is really excited about this season and ready to play."
"This year we have a lot more experience and positive leadership out on the field that has definitely brought us to a new level. We have great depth on our team that can be seen all over the field with numerous players making impact plays on both the attack and defensive ends. I am looking forward to our first winning season as a full Division I member as well as the conference title," said senior attacker Michelle Owen.
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