By Stacy Troiano
The women’s lacrosse team is ready for the 2007 season to kick off. Coming off a 2006 campaign with a record of 11-7 and advancing to their second straight CAA title game, the Pride looks to use its combination of experience and youth to take home the championship.
First year head coach Abby Morgan leads the Pride this season. Morgan spent the previous three seasons as an assistant under departed coach Shelley Klaes-Bawcombe.
Hofstra returns 21 players including seven starters from last year’s squad, and adds a group of highly touted freshmen to the mix.
“We are experienced and we’re young,” Morgan said. “We’ve got six experienced seniors, but we also have 20 freshmen and sophomores. The younger players are learning from the experienced players every day, and we’re expecting to be successful.”
Among those six seniors is a trio of offensive weapons. All-Americans Becky Thorn, a midfielder, and attacker Kim Hillier return for the Pride. Regional All-American Casey McGrath, also a midfielder, comes back after she led the team in goals last season.
The Pride also boasts an experienced defense anchored by junior goalie Maisie Osteen and senior defender Kim Kozlowski. Osteen, a three year starter, had a .460 save percentage and allowed 10.6 goals per game last season.
Along with the seasoned veterans, the Pride welcomes a rookie class including high school All-Americans Corrine Gandolfi and K’Leigh Vanaman, and goalie Mary Cuddihy, who Inside Lacrosse Magazine called the year’s 10th best recruit.
“The incoming freshmen are all playing great. They’re all fearless, and they’re all going to earn well-deserved playing time,” Hillier said.
The team’s depth could prove to be its biggest strength entering the upcoming season, making it difficult for other teams to defend them.
“We have a lot of different go-to players,” Morgan said. “If you stop the big three, we have a lot of young players who are talented and will fill in the gaps.”
The Pride players and staff all have their eyes on the same prize. The team believes it has all of the working parts to win a conference title.
“In the four years I’ve been here, I think this is the year we’re going to get it done,” Hillier said. “I don’t think any other team is working as hard as we are, day in and day out with one goal in mind. We all want the championship.”
For the past two seasons, the CAA championship has eluded the Pride after making it to the title game. In 2005, they lost the championship to Towson, and last season James Madison, a NCAA tournament quarterfinalist, defeated Hofstra in the conference final.
Hofstra faces early tests, with three of its first five games against ranked opponents Boston University, Cornell and Vanderbilt, and games later in the season against conference foes James Madison and Towson.
The Pride enters the season ranked 16th in the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches’ Association preseason poll, but Morgan said she doesn’t put too much stock in the rankings.
“The rankings don’t mean anything right now. We’ve been ranked every year I’ve been here, but we haven’t won a championship yet,” she said. “The players understand as well that it only matters when you win the big games. We’re just playing for us and believing that we are number one.”
Morgan said she believes there is one very important thing that the team has to do to be successful this season. The team must stay healthy. If the Pride can accomplish that, then the coach said she thinks that with hard work and unity, the championship is theirs for the taking.
“We have a lot of talent and good athletes,” she said. “And if we can play and work together as a team and be smart, then we will be primed and ready to get back to the championship and on to the NCAAs.”
The Pride begins their season on Feb. 25 at Loyola College of Maryland, and the first home game is set for March 9 at 7 p.m. against the University of Denver.