Athletics News

SWARTHMORE, Pa. - The Swarthmore College women's lacrosse team is gearing up to improve on the 2009 season which saw the Garnet finish with an overall record of 9-8. With an experienced core of returnees and an exciting group of first-years, there is a lot to look forward to in 2010 as the team looks to be an up-and-coming force in the Centennial Conference.

With the loss of seven 2009 graduates, seniors Allison Grein ( Floral Park, NY / Floral Park HS), Abbe Muller (West Hartford, CT / Conard HS), and Carey Pietsch (Ossining, NY / Ossining HS) will have to step up into a leadership roles.

"I am expecting leadership in all areas; Abbe on offense, Carey on defense, and Ally Grein in the goal. It's great to have three captains who can lead in three different ways," said head coach Karen Borbee.

Outside of the seniors, the Garnet return an experienced group of juniors including Amy Vachal (Somerset, NJ / Rutgers Prep), Alison Kelly (Lutherville, MD / St. Paul's School) and Emily Evans (Atlanta, GA / North Springs). Last season, Vachal lead the team with 53 goals and Evans wasn’t far behind, adding 41 goals.

"On offense, Amy has tremendous speed and can attack the goal from a variety of places. I think she will have another successful season," said Borbee. "Abbe is a senior captain and she should be able to score this season. Annalise Mowry is also a returner who should make an impact this year, along with Emily Evans. "

Kelly helps secure a solid defense while sophomores Marie Mutryn (Rexford, NY / Niskayuna HS) - who scored 30 goals in 2009 and Maddie Williams (Kennett Square, PA / Kennett HS) - who finished with an impressive 35 ground balls in 2009 -  look to continue to lead in the midfield.

"We are really going to miss Melissa Grigsby on defense, but we should have a solid defense unit lead by senior captain Carey Pietsch and Alison Kelly. Marie and Maddie will also be strong midfield defenders," Borbee added.

In goal, Grein returns between the pipes after an impressive 2009 season in which she finished with an 8-5 record and .482 save percentage.

Swarthmore kicks off the 2010 season against Neumann  in the annual Tri-Co Invitational on March 6th, which will be hosted by Swarthmore College. Following the opener, the team will travel to Hilton Head, South Carolina to compete against Trine University (IN) and Savannah College of Art and Design (GA). The Garnet kick off play in the always difficult Centennial Conference with a trip to Washington College on March 20th, while defending national champion Franklin & Marshall comes to Clothier Field on Tuesday, April 6th.

Centennial Conference Preseason Poll

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 25th, 2010 at 12:57 pm and is filed under Home, Women's Lacrosse. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.