EASTON, Pa. – The 2019 version of Lafayette women's lacrosse is looking for redemption this spring as eight active seniors will lead the Leopards into battle beginning on Sunday at St. Bonaventure at 1 p.m.

With four goals separating the Maroon and White from fourth in the Patriot League standings a year ago, a spot that would have come with hosting duties in the quarterfinals of the Patriot League Tournament, the Leopards feel ready to take the next step a year later.

"We return a lot of experience this year and the returners have put in a lot of work to grow their games.  With so many key players back, we've been able to progress systematically pretty quickly this spring," head coach Alison Fisher said, entering her 11^th season at the helm. "We have the core of our defensive unit back from last year and we've been able to diversify ourselves offensively which should make us more difficult to match up against." 

Seniors Emma Novick and Annelise Kinney will lead the group this season as co-captains, representing sides of the field that return 13 athletes who contributed as starters or significant contributors last year.  Novick, along with classmates Jane Kirby and Hannah Davey, accounted for 65 percent of the Leopards' goals last spring, while Kinney will team up with classmates Amelia Heisler and Elise Ashford on the back line with just three games missed between them last season.

"Annelise and Emma are both committed and passionate about driving this team to reach its full potential and they have a clear vision for what we can achieve this spring," Fisher said in an earlier release announcing the captains. "They have gained a lot of valuable experience over the past three and a half years that give them great potential as team leaders. They have cultivated relationships with their teammates and established a credibility that everyone in our program respects. We are very fortunate to have nine incredibly talented seniors who are well respected by their coaches and teammates, so although these two have been entrusted with the Captain's role, they will be well supported and reinforced by their classmates."

Lafayette opens its home slate on Tuesday, Feb. 19, a 6 p.m. tilt with Iona. Below is a full position-by-position breakdown of the 2019 edition of Lafayette women's lacrosse.

ATTACK

Novick and Kirby return for their final go-around as two of the most proficient scorers in program history. Each has started in every game for the Maroon and White over the past two seasons, tallying 43 and 54 goals, respectively, to lead the team offensively in 2018.

Novick was an Academic All-Patriot League selection last season, scoring in all but one game and recording multiple goals in 14 of her 17 contests. The New Canaan, Connecticut product registered a season-high five markers against Temple and East Carolina in her junior campaign.
 
"We've seen significant growth from Emma this year," Fisher said.  "She has diversified her game and become much more multidimensional, adding onto her already threatening skill set which will allow us to use her in a variety of offensive roles this spring." 

Kirby scored more than 50 goals for the second straight season in 2018, tallying a team-high 54 on a national-best 9.00 shots per outing. She was third in the Patriot League in scoring at 3.18 goals per contest and was named a Second-Team All-Patriot League selection following the year, in addition to her Preseason All-Patriot League selection this season, announced on Jan. 24. 

"Jane has always been a powerful threat with convincing finishing ability, but she has worked diligently this offseason to become more complete. She is now not only an explosive dodger but also a competent facilitator who has been influential in improving the chemistry in our offensive unit."

"One of the most exciting things we've seen so far this year is how Jane and Emma are playing off one another and complimenting each other's skillsets," Fisher added. "They have really tag-teamed leading our attack both through their play and with their voices, and it has significantly raised our level of play."

Joining Lafayette's knowns up front will be returning sophomore Anna Stein, who led the team in assists as a rookie (25) and freshman Olivia Cunningham. Stein added 11 goals for 36 points in her inaugural season and Fisher continues to be impressed with her development, expecting her to grow into one of the top players in the conference over the next few seasons.

Cunningham has been as-advertised after tallying 108 goals, 70 assists, 51 ground balls and 41 caused turnovers over her four years at Episcopal Academy in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. She led the Inter-Ac in scoring her senior year with 48 goals and 48 assists, and Fisher says her exceptional stick skills will add a new level of diversity to the Leopard offense.

Senior Kayla Guerin, juniors Jen Rowan and Emily Wingate, along with sophomore Lizzie O'Brien will work through the rotation up front as well, giving the Maroon and White depth through the offensive unit.

Others looking to break through for minutes will be sophomores Grace Guerin, Audrey Hannigan, Brianna McCoy and Josie Brodfuehrer and freshman Emilie de Keyzer and Caroline Garti.

"There's a lot of balance to our offense this year," said Fisher. "Emma and Jane are threatening off the drive, Anna, Olivia and Emily give us three really good options on the crease and Kayla, Jen and Lizzie can do a little bit of everything.  The freshmen have brought new skill sets to the positional group and the sophomores have all shown improvement since last year which gives us a lot of different options in how we can attack the cage."

MIDFIELD

Lafayette's midfield this season will be a steady rotation through a number of players with skills on both sides of the ball. Led by 2017 All-Patriot League Second-Team selection Hannah Davey, the 2019 midfield core is the deepest it has ever been in Fisher's tenure. Davey is coming off the highest scoring season of her career as a junior, when she posted 26 goals and 3 assists. She led the Leopards with 73 draw controls last season, ranked seventh in the Patriot League in draw controls per game with 4.29, and picked up 35 ground balls, good for second on the team.

Juniors Bella Alampi and Ashley Ender and sophomores Colleen Bannon and Courtney Scheetz have all had tremendous fall seasons and impressed through the preseason, while senior Mairead Janzer is finally back to full health and looking her best heading into her final campaign.  Alampi played in 17 games in 2018, starting a pair and scoring 18 goals, good for fifth on the 2018 squad.  Bannon closed out the 2018 season with four goals, two assists and 50 draw controls, good for third on the team.

"Hannah is everything you could ask for in a senior midfielder. She fills every statistical category, is a trustworthy defender and, given her athleticism, she is able to impact every aspect of the game. Colleen and Mairead have both played a lot of significant minutes for us in the midfield so they provide us with reliable depth. Mairead is finally back to being Mairead and we expect big things from her this spring, while Colleen has great instincts that allow her to make big-time plays all over the field."  

 "Ashley, Bella and Courtney have all grown into significant roles this offseason. Bella is a dominant athlete with unparalleled natural ability, and Ashley and Court are the epitome of consistency and versatility," Fisher said.

Junior Katie DeMarino, set to take a good share of the draw controls in 2019, joins classmate Katie McDonald, as well as freshman Caroline Curnal, in the next group set to see significant minutes through the midfield.  Curnal was All-State in three sports as a senior at Ridgefield High School, a 2018 HS All-American selection in lacrosse and the 2017 Connecticut Female Athlete of the Year. She recorded 279 draw controls in her high school career and is expected to dominate the draw circle with DeMarino this spring. Expect to also see consistent minutes from junior Ally Hickey who appeared in seven games last year as a sophomore, and freshman Abby Najarian.

Sophomore Mae Mullany, and freshmen Kelly Sullivan and Lexi Gibbons will compete for time with this unit, while freshman Dory Howard will sit for her rookie season due to injury.

DEFENSE

Experience and skilled youth define the defensive group for this year's Maroon and White as seniors Kinney, Heisler and Ashford will work primarily with freshman Lily Bedell on the back line. Bedell was a four-time champion in the Shore Conference at Rumson-Fair Haven High School in Fair Haven, New Jersey, listed as a N.J. Top Defender in 2018 and was named to the Under Armour All-American Team, winning a state championship in her 2016 season.

Heisler was second on the team in caused turnovers with 19 a year ago, while Ashford caused 18 giveaways to go along with 26 ground balls, good enough for fourth on the squad. Kinney has made tremendous improvements heading into her senior season and will look to improve upon her 11-caused-turnover and 14-ground-ball numbers from a year ago.

DeMarino and fellow junior Dulcie Del Priore will be at the top of the depth chart defensively. Del Priore started seven games in the 2018 campaign adding seven ground balls and five caused turnovers while DeMarino played in 11 games last spring. Junior Kylie Young, sophomores Emily Ballinger, Mia Magarro and Jacklyn Fein, and freshmen Tessa Luzi, Maggie Ledwith and Callie Wortmann will also compete for time in this area, while senior Tali Dressler has been moved to a Student Assistant Coach position with the program for her final season.

Fisher emphasized how crucial her experienced group of defenders will be to the team's success this spring, "You can't ask for a better corps of experienced defenders than Amelia, Annelise and Elise. They complement each other well as both players and leaders and they have mastered doing their own jobs to the best of their ability while leading those around them and facilitating really solid unit play. Good teams traditionally have experienced defensive units and I wouldn't trade ours for any unit in the conference." 

IN GOAL

Between the pipes is the territory of sophomore Quinn Lacy in 2019 as she takes over full-time starting duties after splitting with Anna Raymond '18 in her rookie season. Lacy finished 2018 with a 5-9 mark, carrying a .407 save percentage and making double-digit saves on four different occasions.

"Quinn is playing exceptionally well and we're very excited to see the jump from her freshman to sophomore seasons," Fisher said. "She's taken on a bigger role in the entire defense and has worked to be impressive between the pipes. You can make up any superlative you want about her and it will be true. She's the hardest worker on the team and the real deal."

Backing up Lacy will be junior Taylor Danson, who returns for her junior season after making two appearances in 2018. In 16:29 of action, she made a pair of saves for the Maroon and White. 

"Taylor is always ready when you need her, no matter what the situation," Fisher said of her junior goalie. "She is dedicated and loyal and incredibly dependable not only as a goalkeeper but also as a teammate." 

IN THE CIRCLE

DeMarino and Curnal will be the primary options to take draw controls this season, filling the vacancy left by the graduation of Kristin Schaen '18. Both have impressed the coaches in the preseason and the staff is confident the circle will be an area of strength.

On the wings, Davey, Janzer, Bannon and Alampi will be the primary options on draws. Grace Guerin also continues to work on the specialty and may be available as a third option behind DeMarino and Curnal if and when necessary.

SCHEDULE

Lafayette's 2019 slate features eight games at Fisher Stadium during the regular season.

The Leopards will hit the road early and often in 2019 with four of their first five games on the road, and the home opener on Feb. 19 against Iona the lone contest in Easton before March 9. Three-straight home contests follow that trip, including the first of conference play against Holy Cross on March 16.

Road tilts at Boston U. and Bucknell on March 23 and March 27 precede a home battle with American on March 30 to close out the first two months of play. A trip to LIU-Brooklyn opens the final month on April 2 and will be looked at as final preparation for the closing slate of Patriot League tilts.

The final five games on the schedule are all against conference opponents with three at home (Loyola on April 13, Lehigh on April 17 and Colgate on April 26) and two on the road (Army on April 6 and Navy on April 20). The 2019 Patriot League Tournament, featuring the league's top-six teams, is scheduled to take place from April 28-May 4.