WOMEN'S LACROSSE NOTEBOOK
Vermont will get the 2019 campaign underway with a two-game road trip beginning with Colgate on Saturday at 12 p.m., then Manhattan on Monday for an 11 a.m. opening draw. Free video and live stats will be available for each contest by clicking the links below.
RELATED LINKS
Colgate: Video | Live Stats
Manhattan: Video | Live Stats
Vermont: 2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule
2018 SEASON RECAP
Vermont had one of the best turn-around rates in the country last year. After a 1-15 record in 2017, the Catamounts had a +5-win improvement rate last season for the third-best mark in Division I and tied Boston College for the best among teams in New England. The Green and Gold also have two All-Rookie selections coming back – Mackenzie Bolt and
Jessica English.
2019 SCHEDULE
The Catamounts will open the season with five out of the first seven contests on the road. The 2019 non-conference docket features foes from six different conferences. Vermont will host six opponents at Virtue Field – Marist, Sacred Heart, UMBC, Stony Brook, Dartmouth, and New Hampshire.
THEY'RE BACK!
The Green and Gold have a solid core of 24 student-athletes returning for the upcoming 2019 season and their top two scorers –
Elise Koehl and
Jenna Janes. The pair racked up 48 points apiece as Koehl guided the Cats with 42 goals and six assists. Janes netted 37 points and handed out 11 assists.
LEADERSHIP GROUP
A senior trio will serve as team captains for the 2019 campaign –
Catherine Green,
Micaela O'Mara, and
Charity Warner.
VANESSA COX #23 MEMORIAL GAME
In the conference matchup against Stony Brook on Saturday, April 6, UVM will host its inaugural "Vanessa Cox #23 Memorial Game" to honor the late Vanessa Cox '05. Head coach
Sarah Dalton will select one player to wear Cox's No. 23 jersey. Cox, a 2015 UVM Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, graduated as the all-time leader in points (173) and goals (133). She was tragically killed in a car crash in February of 2015 at the age of 31.
CATAMOUNT NEWCOMERS
Vermont welcomed 11 newcomers to Catamount Country this season –
Carolyn Carrera,
Reilly Drab,
Riley Halloran,
Maris Large,
Josie Lowell,
Sophie McLaughlin,
Molly McDonough,
Taylor Mullen,
Dani Paterno,
Kolina Ungar, and
Jen Williams. The group includes four All-Americans and spans across eight states.
AMERICA EAST PRESEASON RANKINGS
UVM was picked to finish sixth in this year's America East Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Catamounts earned a total of 20 points in the preseason rankings. Five-time defending champion Stony Brook was picked as the unanimous preseason favorite with 49 points and seven first-place votes.
SCOUTING REPORTS
Colgate posted a 10-7 record last year and earned a Patriot League Tournament berth. Coming into this season, the Raiders were selected fifth in the Patriot League preseason rankings and return eight starters. Junior goalie and co-captain Samantha Croston spent every minute between the posts in 2018 and stopped 175 shots. Sophomore forward Danielle Van Calcar finished second on the team in scoring as a rookie with 61 points on 22 goals and 19 assists. Junior forward Payton Gabriel followed in third with 39 points and recorded four hat tricks.
Manhattan is projected to finish ninth in the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll after a 5-11 record last season. Molly Fitzpatrick, the Jaspers' leading scorer from a year ago, racked up 49 points as a junior on 32 goals and 17 assists. She ranks fourth all-time in assists (42) and sixth all-time in points (130). Sophomore forward Alaina Burgess netted 10 goals as a newcomer last season - the fifth-highest point total on the team. Senior goalie Nikki Prestiano sits fourth in Manhattan's record book with 399 career saves and denied 140 saves as a junior.
INSIDE THE SERIES
Vermont and Colgate will open the season against one another for the second straight year. Saturday's season opener will be the 31st all-time meeting between the two programs. The Cats have won four out of the last seven contests but the Raiders own a 20-10 edge. Last year, Colgate scored seven goals in the second half to steal an 11-9 win at Virtue Field.
The Cats and Jaspers will square off for the fifth time ever as the all-time series with deadlocked at 2-2. UVM reached the win column in 2002 and 2016, but Manhattan beat the Cats in 2004 and last year.
