Senior All-American Kelsey Reilly heads the lists of returnees for Stonehill in 2013 as the Skyhawks have earned a preseason #7 ranking. (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes) |
Skyhawks among five NE-10 programs to appear in preseason poll
EASTON, Mass. (January 9, 2013) – The Stonehill College women's lacrosse team is ranked seventh in the Lacrosse Magazine preseason poll released by the flagship publication of U.S. Lacrosse.
Stonehill is one of five Northeast-10 Conference programs appearing in the publication's preseason poll, which is headed by defending National Champions LIU Post who will visit W.B. Mason Stadium for a non-conference clash with the Skyhawks on Saturday, April 13, at 11 a.m. Defending Northeast-10 tournament champions Adelphi University is ranked second, with NE-10 regular season champs Le Moyne College fifth, Bentley University ranked ninth and the University of New Haven rounding out the top ten.
Stonehill is scheduled to face six of the teams ranked in the preseason top ten during the 2013 season, including a season-opening clash with No. 4 Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla., on Saturday, March 2, at 7 p.m. The Skyhawks will visit Adelphi on Saturday, March 30, at 4 p.m., Le Moyne on Saturday, April 6, at noon, host Bentley on Tuesday, April 9, at 7 p.m., and New Haven on Saturday, March 23, at noon.
Stonehill is coming off a 2012 season in which it posted a 14-5 record overall, including a 10-2 clip in the Northeast-10 to finish third in the Conference standings. The Skyhawks have made a record 14 straight appearances in the NE-10 tournament, reaching the semifinal round every season including last year where they were dealt a heartbreaking 12-11 overtime setback to eventual champions Adelphi in Syracuse, N.Y.
Stonehill head coach Katie Conover, entering her sixth season at the helm of her alma mater, returns 21 letter winners and nine starters, including six who started at least 18 of the Skyhawks 19 games, from last season. Senior All-American Kelsey Reilly (Hingham, Mass./Notre Dame Academy) leads the list of returnees for Stonehill after shattering the program record for draw controls as a junior with 120 to go with 40 goals and a team-high 21 assists for 61 points, while also adding 61 ground balls and 41 caused turnovers.
Seniors Kayla Green (Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry) and Heather Sullivan (Andover, Mass./Andover) return after heading the Stonehill offense with breakout years in 2012. Green, an IWLCA All-North Region selection, led the Skyhawks with 74 points on a team-high 56 goals and 18 assists, while Sullivan totaled 55 goals and eight assists for 63 points to earn All-Northeast-10 accolades.
Senior All-American Rebecca Moore (Marlborough, Mass./Saint Mark's School) and sophomore Ashley Armstrong (Northborough, Mass./Algonquin Regional) split the goaltending duties in 2012. Moore started nine of 11 games played and posted an 8.32 goals against average and averaged 6.6 saves per game, while Armstrong started ten of 13 games played as a freshman with a 10.58 GAA and 8.4 saves per game.
As mentioned, Stonehill opens its 2013 season at 4th-ranked Rollins on Saturday, March 2, at 7 p.m. The Skyhawks first home game is slated for Sunday, March 17, when they host Queens (N.Y.) College at W.B. Mason Stadium at noon.
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