Emerson Tops 2010 Women's Lacrosse Pre-Season Poll

By Melissa Maitland

GNAC Sports Information Specialist

Emerson, the winner of the 2009 GNAC Women’s Lacrosse Championship, has been selected as the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Women’s Lacrosse preseason favorite in a vote conducted by GNAC coaches.  Norwich was edged to second place by one point, while Lasell took third.  St. Joseph’s (ME) and St. Joseph (CT) tied for fourth place and Simmons concludes the teams in the 2010 preseason poll.

Rankings

1.     Emerson (57)

2.     Norwich (56)

3.     Lasell (48)

4.     St. Joseph’s (CT) (34)

        St. Joseph’s (ME) (34)

5.     Simmons (33)

#1 Emerson Lions

 Emerson finished behind Norwich in the 2009 preseason poll; however, it was the Lions that ended up on top, finishing the 2009 season with an undefeated 6-0 GNAC record, going 13-3 overall.  Emerson defeated Norwich in the 2009 GNAC Women’s Lacrosse Championship, 16-8, behind a 6 goal barrage by Tournament MVP Maeghan Ross.  The Lions were awarded the second seed in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) New England Division III Women’s Lacrosse Championship Tournament.  Emerson defeated Worcester State, 15-11, in the quarterfinals before being eliminated by Castleton State, 22-15, in the semifinals.  Following the tournament, Ross was named to the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Association Division III Pilgrim Region All-Tournament Team. 

Returning from the 2009 squad is Offensive Player of the Year and First-Team All-Conference selection Maeghan Ross.  Last season Ross set Emerson school records for goals in a season (78), goals in a game (9) game winning goals (6), and tied her own 2008 record for assists in a season (26).  She also holds Emerson career records for goals (140) and assists (52).  At the conclusion of the 2009 season, Ross was ranked 1st in the GNAC in goals per game (4.88), points per game (6.38), and game-winning goals (.31 pg), 2nd in shots per game (8.31), and 3rd in assists per game (1.50).  Also returning for Emerson are First Team All-Conference players Amy Gervis and Katie Dodge, Second Team All-Conference honorees Laura Miley and Kayla Dowd, and All-Sportsmanship Team selection Meghan Robinson.  Emerson begins its season on March 22 when they face Salve Regina.  

#2 Norwich Cadets

The 2008 GNAC Women’s Lacrosse Champions were picked first in the 2009 preseason poll, but finished second in the conference with a 5-1 conference record, 8-7 overall.  Returning for the Cadets is Rookie of the Year Kacey Abbrianno.  The freshman finished her 2009 campaign ranked 2nd in the GNAC in ground balls per game (4.07), 4th in shots per game (7.86), and 6th in goals per game (3.43), assists per game (.79), points per game (4.21), and game-winning goals (.14 pg).  Abbriano was named to the First Team All-Conference and will be joined by fellow First Team All-Conference players Ally Daniels and Dawn McNulty.  Daniels finished the 2009 season ranked 1st in the GNAC in ground balls per game (4.43) and caused turnovers per game (2.00), 2nd in goals per game (4.57), assists per game (1.79), and points per game (6.36), and 3rd in shots per game (8.07) and draw controls per game (3.71).  Also returning for the Cadets are Second Team All-Conference selections Chelsea Martin and Kellie Pickel, who finished the 2009 season ranked 1st in the conference in save percentage (.502).  The Cadets are heading south to West Palm Beach, Florida to face Mount Holyoke, Claremont-M-S, and Smith from March 15-19, before returning home to play Green Mountain on March 24.

#3 Lasell Lasers

The Lasers finished the 2009 season with a 4-2 GNAC record and went 9-7 overall, earning the team its best overall record in program history.  Returning for Lasell are Second Team All-Conference players Kristen Coderre and Tina Canavan, as well All-Sportsmanship Team honoree April McGrath.  Coderre finished the 2009 season ranked 2nd in the GNAC in goals against average (12.28), save percentage (.499), and saves per game (12.29).  Her teammate Canavan was ranked 2nd in draw controls per game (5.36), 4th in assists per game (.92), 5th in points per game (5.14), 7th in goals per game (3.31), and 9th in shots per game (6.08).  After starting their season on March 4, the Lasers are currently 1-2 overall.  Lasell next takes to the field to play Anna Maria on March 16.

#4 St. Joseph (CT) Blue Jays

St. Joseph (CT) finished the 2009 season with a 1-11 overall record, 1-5 GNAC.  Returning for the Blue Jays is Giovanna Piasecki, who finished last season ranked 4th in the GNAC in caused turnovers per game (1.08).  The Blue Jays play their first game of the 2010 season on March 21 against Green Mountain College. 

#4 St. Joseph’s (ME) Monks

St. Joseph’s (ME) had a 3-3 conference record and went 6-8 overall in 2009.  Returning for the Monks are First-Team All-Conference players Alyssa Marchant and Lauren Hagerman, as well as All-Sportsmanship Team selection Jaimee Brett.  Hagerman finished the 2009 season with 27 assists, 69 goals, and 62 draw controls, while Marchant scored a team-high 46 goals and scored 51 points with 33 draw controls.  Both Hagerman and Marchant collected 30 ground balls to tie for the team lead.  At the conclusion of the 2009 season, Hagerman was ranked 1st in the GNAC in assists per game (2.45) and draw controls per game (5.36), 3rd in points per game (6.18) and game-winning goals (.18 pg), 4th in goals per game (3.73), and 6th in shots per game (7.27).  Marchant was ranked 4th in the conference in game-winning goals (.17 pg), 5th in goals per game (3.50) and shots per game (7.58), and 7th in points per game (3.83).  The Monks begin 2010 play on March 16 when they face Maine-Farmington.

 #5 Simmons Sharks

Simmons finished the 2009 season, the team’s first year as a varsity program, with a 3-8 record, 2-4 GNAC.  Returning members from the 2009 squad are Second Team All-Conference players Natalie Stever, Lea Sutherland, Marissa Games, and Kayla Tirell.  Sutherland finished the 2009 season ranked 4th in the GNAC in draw controls per game (3.00) and 10th in goals per game (2.50), while Stever was ranked 7th in shots per game (7.11).  The Sharks play two games in West Palm Beach, Florida on March 11 and 12, before they face Anna Maria on March 22.

The top four teams at the conclusion of the regular season will qualify for the 2010 GNAC Women’s Lacrosse Championship, which starts April 21.