The 2010 season for the Connecticut College Men’s and Women’s lacrosse programs should be one to remember. The young teams have amassed new talent in the off-season and will prove to be strong competitors in the NESCAC this year.
The Men’s lacrosse team, led by senior tri-captains Steve Dachille, Will Schumann and Sean Driscoll look to improve their 6-9 overall record (1-8 league) from the 2009 season.
The captains will be players to watch as they hope to end their careers with a bang. Look for Driscoll and Dachille to be the powerhouses on attack, and for Schumann to dominate as the close defenseman.
The Camels also look to juniors Eric Doran and Mark Mangano as their go-to midfielders, and will rely on sophomores Rob Moccia and John Lenehan to be saving shots in the cage.
As a young team, the Camels are expecting big things from their freshman class. Expect Andrew Freedman and Jon Lyons to make an impact on the attack, and look out for Stephen Eicher in the midfield and Brogan O’Connor on defense.
Coach David Cornell is looking forward to a great season and is counting on his guys to give it their all.
Cornell said, “If everyone buys into a great work ethic, then the wins will take care of themselves. Our guys worked hard in the weight room during the off-season, and everyone’s going to buy into their roles. We look for everyone to be a role player. If we can have 40 role players – someone to shoot, someone to look to as a passer – then we can change the culture of the program and we should have a successful season.”
As for the lady Camels, they too are expecting an awesome season.
According to head coach Heather McClelland, “We have raised the bar with our expectations this year. Practices have been increasingly intense and the team has been focusing on maximum output in every drill, lift and sprint. We have our sights set on Trinity, our home opener on March 13 and have six key returnees in our upperclassmen and a talented group of sophomores and freshmen.”
The returnees have fire in their bellies going into preseason after a disappointing 2009 record of 4-10, with no NESCAC wins. This season, the Camels will be led by tri-captains Kylee Yam ’10, Cookie Smith ’10 and Abby Hill ’11. The team will rely on the experience of these girls, and their leadership will be an important part of the team’s success.
The Camels will also be relying on their goalies, Ashleigh Kowtoniuk ‘12 and Rachel Nelson ‘11 to make an impact in the cage. Big things are expected on defense from seniors Kristen Dirmaier and captain Kylee Yam.
Abby Hill ’11 and Hope Barone ’12 have proven their strength in the midfield and will continue to spark offensive play this season. In addition, the Camels will be returning three strong attackers Ashley Crutchfield ’12, Katelyn Driscoll ’12 and Sara Christopher ’10 are expected to be high scorers again this spring.
The freshmen class will make-up a large chunk of the team this season and is expected to bring a new fire to the field for the lady Camels.
With such young talent on both teams, the 2010 dynamic will hopefully spark winning seasons.
