Feb. 21, 2006
The 2006 Georgetown University women's lacrosse team will look to make an appearance in their ninth straight NCAA Tournament and make some noise on the national level with some new faces.
The Hoyas will be looking to create its own identity after graduating seven starters, three on attack, three in the midfield which accounted for 58 percent of their scoring and their goalie.
Second year Head Coach Ricky Fried will be fielding one of the youngest and inexperienced teams GU has seen in recent memory but that doesn't mean the team will necessarily need to re-build. Coach Fried considers this squad one of Georgetown's "most athletic" in quite some time and Lacrosse Magazine ranked Georgetown tenth in its pre-season poll. The Hoyas will face one of the most difficult schedules in the country as GU will take on seven of the nine teams ranked ahead of them in the Lacrosse Magazine poll.
Offensively, Georgetown will expect junior Coco Stanwick to continue her climb up the school's all-time scoring list. The Baltimore, Md. native was a candidate for the 2005 Tewaaraton Trophy as a sophomore and was named BIG EAST Attacker of the Year. She led the team and was tied for eighth in the nation with 59 goals, while tying for seventh in the nation with 4.3 points per game (79 pts). She earned IWLCA/US Lacrosse First Team All-America honors and will anchor the Blue and Gray offense.
Junior Sara Zorzi moves from midfield to attack this spring. Zorzi appeared in every game last season. Her excellent vision and game sense make her extremely important to a young group of attackers.
Red-shirt junior Brittany Baschuk played in every game in 2005 scoring eight goals. The Chevy Chase, Md. native is a strong finisher and will be asked to increase her production this spring.
Schuyler Sutton returns for her junior season after missing most of last season with an injury. Sutton is strong and quick and can cause matchup problems for opponents with her agility and shooting ability.
Sophomore Zan Morley and freshman Bunny O'Reilly will both see significant action on the attack. Morley joins the scoring unit after playing last season in the midfield. Hailing from Philadelphia, Morely is a high energy player who can score in traffic. O'Reilly, who may be the fastest player on the team, can beat opponents one-on-one or in open space and will add a new dimension to the Hoya attack.
Freshmen Ashley Lopez and Anna McKenzie both have strong offensive skills that will complement the Hoya attack.
The midfield unit will be young but very athletic and the Hoyas will count on senior Lucy Poole for leadership. Poole will be the go-to player in the middle of the field after playing in every game last season and scoring nine goals. Senior Paige Andrews also played in every game last season tallying five goals to go along with three assists. Andrews is moves well without the ball to free herself for good scoring opportunities.
Sophomore Patty Piotrowicz earned the team's Rookie of the year Award last season, ranking fourth on the team in draw controls and should be improved with a full season under her belt.
A trio of freshmen, Katie Burton, Bridget Noon and Jordan Trautman will start the season on the second midfield. Burton is consistent and played very well near the end of the fall season. Noon is highly-regarded out of Annapolis and should be a threat to dodge or feed in offensive situations. Trautman is aggressive and possess a hard shot that will fit nicely into the offensive system this season. All three continue to improve as they learn the Hoya system.
Freshmen Megan Bloomer, Margot Ellis and Courtney Hubschmann add depth to a young midfield. Bloomer dominates 50/50 balls and improved on both ends of the field in the fall.
Margot Ellis, the younger sister of junior defender Megan, should contribute as the season moves along. She has endless energy and her enthusiasm in contaqgious.
Hubschmann earned All-New Jersey State Second Team honors and has solid skills that can help create matchup problems on both ends for opponents because of her six-foot frame.
The strength of the team will be its defensive unit with four starters returning to a team that ranked seventh in the nation last year with 26.0 ground balls per contest.
Senior Stephanie Zodtner earned All-BIG EAST Second Team honors after leading the league with 44 ground balls and ranking second on the team with 25 caused turnovers. The tenacious competitor will most likely draw one of the opponent's top offensive threats. Additionally, she will be the leader on the defensive end of the field.
Senior Kristin Smith ranked third on the team last season in minutes played. She ranked eighth on the team in ground balls and plays fantastic defense around the crease. Her improved confidence could lead to a dominating season.
Juniors Chloe Asselin, Laura Cipro, Megan Ellis and Ali Rogers make up the rest of the experienced group.
Asselin had a terrific sophomore campaign earning IWLCA/US Lacrosse Third Team All-American honors and was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year. The native of France, Asselin led the team in caused turnovers and ranked fourth on the team in ground balls. She has a tremendous work ethic and took home the team's Most Improved Player Award.
Cipro started and played in 11 games last season before missing seven games due to injury. The Ellicott City, Md. native totaled 19 ground balls and 18 caused turnovers and will be asked to be an integral part of the Hoyas' transition game. Cipro's quick feet and deceptive strength and outstanding checking will play a key role in the Hoyas' pressure defense
Ellis played in 15 games last season who possesses deceptive strength and can outwork opponents.
Rogers started on seven different occasions last year collecting eight ground balls and 13 caused turnovers. She can give the defense a spark with her aggressive style and ability to land a check.
Junior Rachel Mech and sophomores Karla Herrara and Amelia Wesselink will all look to contribute to the defensive unit. Mech missed the entire season to injury last year but has slowly worked her way back into game shape.
Herrara and Wesselink could see some quality minutes after getting a sense of the collegiate game last year.
Junior Margaret Farland and Maggie Koch are the returners in the cage. Farland appeared in one game last season and with more experience in game situations, her confidence will grow.
Koch will be the starting goalkeeper in the spring. The Philadelphia native made 13 appearances with a start against Towson in her first season on the Hilltop after spending the 2004 season at Drexel. Koch made 39 saves in more than 250 minutes of action, making a career-high 11 saves in the win over Notre Dame. With her quick hands and calm demeanor, Koch will make the defense in front of her better.
The 2006 schedule includes seven home games and nine road games as well as meetings with seven schools that were ranked in the top-10 at the end of 2005 and nine schools that made an appearance in last season's NCAA Tournament.
The Hoyas will host William & Mary (3/15), Princeton (3/22), Rutgers (3/25), North Carolina (3/31), Notre Dame (4/15), Virginia (4/19) and Loyola (Md.) (4/29).
Georgetown will take to the road for meetings at Mt. St. Mary's (2/26), Oregon (3/5), Syracuse (3/11), Duke (3/18), Maryland (4/5), Boston University (4/9), Connecticut (4/22), James Madison (4/26) and Johns Hopkins (5/6).
