By Nicole Dales and Tim Holmes
Rotunda EditorsReturning 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.
Sophomore defender Amanda Bereznay said, "I am very hopeful for the upcoming season. I can honestly say that we are probably one of the best teams Longwood has ever seen. We are strong, committed and determined to win."
The Lancers will host 10 of their 16 regular-season games, and the season will culminate when Longwood hosts the Independent tournament the weekend of May 1-3. The team is already looking forward to their role as hosts. "I'm really excited for this season. We have a much bigger team this year and since we just created a new conference we are aiming towards winning the National Lacrosse Conference in May," said sophomore middle fielder Karli Brentlinger.
In preparation for the upcoming season, the Lancers played in a tournament last weekend, Feb. 6-8 at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Senior defender Shawn Darrell said, "After playing in the South of the Border tournament last weekend, our team is looking great and ready to start our season."
Players are confident that with the hard work they put in this season will be a successful one. ""We have so much heart, determination, and potential this year that we can take on any opponent and come out on top. We just have to dig deep, keep working hard, and make it happen," said freshman defender Sam Stifler.
Senior Liz Sellmayer said, "My outlook on the season is quite simple: we are going to dominate. Possession of the ball, our fluidity through the midfield, and the tenacity of our defense is what's going to help us win those 50/50 games this year. We might not be ranked top 20 yet, but I have a feeling we are going to give those top teams a big wake up call this year."
After taking on W&M in Williamsburg, the Lancers will return to Farmville for a three-game homestand. Navy will visit on Saturday. Feb. 28 for a 1 p.m. match at the Athletics Complex on Johnston Drive. The rest of the season will include matchups against Davidson, Louisville and Villanova, as well as in-state rivals Richmond, Old Dominion and Virginia Tech.
