WOMEN'S LACROSSE NOTEBOOK
Vermont (3-0) hosts LIU (0-3) in its home opener Friday (Feb. 23) at Virtue Field. The opening draw is set for 2 p.m. ET, and will broadcast live on AmericaEast.TV.
 
SCHEDULE NOTE
Friday's matchup was originally scheduled for Saturday (Feb. 24), but was moved up a day due to weather.
 
RELATED LINKS
Watch on AE.TV
Live Stats
 
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Ava Vasile was named America East Offensive Player of the Week on Monday afternoon. The graduate student matched a career-high six goals in Saturday's 10-6 victory at Merrimack.
 
HOME SWEET HOME
The Catamounts finally play at Virtue Field after opening the season with three straight road games. UVM is 10-4 at home over the last two seasons.
 
SCOUTING THE SHARKS
LIU has lost their first three games of the season, with both defeats against Hofstra (L, 13-5), UMass Lowell (L, 14-10) and most recently Manhattan (L, 8-7 3OT) on Wednesday. The Sharks were picked third in the 2024 NEC Preseason Poll, behind Scared Heart and Wagner. Sophomore, Julia Trainor, leads her team in points (6) with four goals and two assists. Erin Harkins has a team-high five goals after scoring three times against Manhattan. 
 
INSIDE THE SERIES
Vermont and LIU met for the first time a season ago. The Sharks defeated the Catamounts in overtime (L, 9-10). Ava Vasile, Jane Trauger, and Maddie Erskine each scored a pair of goals. Kendall Traveis also added a tally. 
 
STARTING OFF STRONG
Vermont is off to a hot start after winning three straight road games to begin the 2024 season. These victories came over Coastal Carolina (W, 10-9), Gardner-Webb (W, 20-6), and Merrimack (W, 10-6). During the three-game road stretch, Ava Vasile became the third Catamount in program history to reach 200 career points.
 
PRESEASON POLL
UVM was picked second in the America East Preseason Poll. Reigning champion UAlbany was selected first in the poll, receiving six first-place votes. UVM edged out Binghamton – who picked up the remaining first-place votes – by one point. Voting was conducted by the league's head coaches, who were not allowed to vote for their own team.
 
THE CATAMOUNT CAPTAINS
Erin Kloostra, Charlotte Nevins, Meghan O'Connor, Ava Vasile, and Kenzie Vasque were selected to as team captains for the 2024 campaign. Head coach Sarah Dalton Graddock said, "As individuals they each have their own experiences that shaped them into the people they are today. And as a unit they know what it takes to win a championship."
 
NEW ADDITIONS
The Vermont women's lacrosse program welcomed 13 new Catamounts for the 2024 season. The incoming class is made of 11 first-years and two transfers. Two goalkeepers, five defenders, five midfielders, and one attacker make up the class.