Womens lacrosse seeks return to championship

The Marist women's lacrosse team wants revenge. Two years removed from a MAAC championship, the Red Foxes went 12-5 in 2009 but dropped a 19-9 decision to Fairfield in the title game a year ago.

Marist has a goal of exacting revenge in 2010, but it will have to reach it with new faces.

Picked to finish third in the MAAC preseason poll, the Red Foxes graduated five starters, including their top three scorers. With 57 percent of its scoring gone, Marist will have to rely on a balanced attack.

Its go-to scorer will be senior midfield Lauren Ciccarello, who enters the season as Marist's lone preseason All-MAAC selection. A second-team selection a year ago, Ciccarello was fourth on the team with 25 goals and 37 points. She will look to spread the ball around even more this season.

"Scoring could come from anybody, which is beneficial," she said. "Anybody can be a threat."

Senior midfielders Erin Wilson and Lindsey Rinefierd will also be relied upon on the offensive end. The two tallied 31 and 23 points, respectively, in 2009.

Morgan Dillon, a senior co-captain with Wilson, is a returning starter who will be taking on a bigger role offensively. The midfielder, who tied for fourth on the team with 30 groundballs in 2009, scored just five goals in 2009 but has taken more initiative in her offensive role.

"Morgan is going to be much more of an attacker this year," head coach Laura Campbell said. "She's got a little confidence taking it to the cage. She's just an exciting player to watch."

The offense will be guided by first-year assistant coach Hannah Rudloff, who has implemented new offensive plays and given the offense more structure. Dillon said that the new approach will allow the players to utilize more of their strengths and stick skills, as well as employ a style of play that relies more on personnel and less on one-on-one ability.

"We need to control the tempo for 60 minutes," Dillon said. "We had lapses a lot of times last year."

The biggest question mark will be in goal, where Marist must replace starter Kelsey Thoms, who left school this past summer to join the Air Force. Sophomore Alyssa Littin, who started last year's season opener but played in just one other game, enters the season as the starter but will be challenged by freshman Ashley Casiano.

"We'll have to talk more and rely on our field players while we let them [the goalies] get confident," Dillon said. "We'll use more presses and work as a full-field defense."

Although the goalie situation is unsettled, the defensive unit is talented and experienced. Senior Madeline Schuck and junior Jessica Guarino are returning starters and will look to gel quickly with the newcomers in goal.

"We're working on getting them to communicate," Schuck said. "We're working on trusting each other, and with those pieces we have a good unit."

Those pieces include junior transfer Erin Betsch, who will immediately step into a starting defensive spot. A starter at Davidson College, Betsch has already stood out as a key contributor.

"It was a good fit," Campbell said of Betsch's arrival. "It's a win-win for everyone. She's a solid.defender, and she's really good. She's going to be our top defender."

The Red Foxes were scheduled to open the 2010 season against Albany on Feb. 24, but the game was postponed due to inclement weather. Marist played Lafayette on Wednesday, March 3, but the game occurred after publication. The team's next game is a 1:00 home contest on Saturday, March 6, against LeMoyne.