Boston College Athletics
2001-2002 Women's Lacrosse Outlook
January 23, 2002 | Lacrosse
Jan. 23, 2002
The 2002 edition of the Boston College women's lacrosse team offers Head Coach Shari Krasnoo plenty of reasons for enthusiasm.
In her second year at the helm, Krasnoo is optimistic about the prospect of guiding a team that lost only two players to graduation, returns nearly 80 percent of its scoring from last season, and welcomes one of the strongest recruiting classes in the program's history. This highly-sought-after blend of experience and youth will provide the Eagles with the depth necessary to compete in the challenging BIG EAST Conference.
While there will be many fresh faces on the field this year, there will also be a newcomer on the sidelines as well. Colleen Christopher, a graduate of New Hampshire, assumes the duties of assistant coach in 2002. Christopher, an All-American attacker at UNH, who spent the past four years thwarting BC schemes, will take on the challenge of preparing them for Coach Krasnoo this season.
"Colleen is an excellent player and she is very knowledgeable about the game," Krasnoo says. "Having spent time on the U.S. Development Team, she will bring a lot of innovative ideas to the table."
Despite finishing 6-9 in 2001 (1-5 in the BIG EAST), the coaching staff can look to the team's strong finish (winning five of its final seven matches) and numerous close losses as signs of promise. In total, BC lost four games by a combined seven goals last season, including matches against BIG EAST rival Notre Dame (8-7) and non-conference foes Harvard (14-11) and New Hampshire (14-13). The experience and depth on this year's team could be the difference in turning those "moral victories" into solid wins in 2002.
"I believe the depth on the team is going to make a big difference for us this year," says Krasnoo. "There were certainly games last year where we lost some legs in the second half. It will also make a big difference in practice where there will be more competition. It will just make us work harder and get better, every day."
The 2002 schedule with test the Eagles' mettle. The conference slate includes road games against perennial powers Georgetown and Notre Dame and home contests against Syracuse and Rutgers. The non-conference schedule could prove to be equally challenging, with matchups against the likes of Harvard, Hofstra, Stanford and New Hampshire.
"It's a good schedule for us," says Krasnoo. "We are fortunate to be in the BIG EAST and have the opportunity to play against great competition every year. At the same time, being in the area we are in, we get to take advantage of the great local teams like Harvard and New Hampshire. Playing against top talent will allow us to continue to improve."
Attack
Despite losing their captain and Regional All-American Emily Ryan to graduation, the Eagles attack should be stronger and deeper than ever before. Senior co-captain Lauren Miller will look to improve upon her stellar 2001 campaign, a year in which she led the Eagles in both goals (49) and assists (30) and received Regional All-American and First Team All-BIG EAST honors.
"Lauren is a great player," says Krasnoo. "She has an uncanny ability to find an open player and get them the ball. This year, she will have an opportunity to not only score more goals, but also create chances. Last year we asked her to take more shots than she was used to. Lauren is a player who really does not want all of the recognition, she would rather have the assists than score the goal. I almost had to beg her to shoot more."
Other returnees looking to make a strong impact this season are sophomores Rachel Bausch , Katie Zorzi, and juniors Blair Antsey and Lisa Pataki. Bausch is coming off of a strong freshman season, where she contributed 19 goals, good for fourth on the team. Zorzi played in 13 games as a freshman, registering three goals and six ground balls. Antsey saw limited action in the spring of 2001, but displayed hard work and tenacity and will look to increase her playing time this season. Pataki returns to the lineup after missing all of the 2001 season with a knee injury.
The class of 2005 brings three newcomers to the attack this season. Freshmen Caitlin Bracken, Susan Breaznell and Courtney Legath will provide youth, talent and depth for the offense this year. All three bring tremendous resumes to the table. Bracken captained her varsity team and displayed the scorer's touch with 75 goals on her way to national recognition.
Breaznell also captained her high school team during her senior season, registering 68 goals and 36 assists on the year while garnering All-American honors. Legath comes to the Eagles after a standout career at powerhouse Moorestown High School (Moorestown, N.J.) where she scored 71 goals and 60 assists as a senior en route to receiving All-American honors as well as numerous New Jersey player of the year distinctions. After a strong fall season, both Breaznell and Legath will be competing for quality playing time and potentially a starting position in the attack this spring.
"Suzie and Courtney had a great fall for us," Krasnoo says. "Suzie is a worker. She finds a way to get open, sees the field very well and gets herself free. Courtney is a great feeder who is adjusting to the college game and trying to adapt to the tempo. She has strong stick work and all of the assets of becoming a good player."
Midfield
With a strong core of returning players and a host of new talent from the freshman class coming in, the midfield position should be one of the team's strengths this season. Senior co-captain Chrissy DeMichele will lead the group, coming off a year in which she scored 21 goals and dished out four assists. Her hard work and leadership qualities will be key in the development of the younger middies this season.
"Chrissie has improved tremendously over the past year and a half," Krasnoo says. "One of the reasons for that is that she just has such a desire to improve. She is a very strong athlete and is such a hard worker, wanting to improve everyday. She has really taken on a leadership role as a senior co-captain and there is a high expectation of her for the season."
Other notable returnees from last year's squad are sophomores Meggie O'Neill and Tara Morley and senior Rachael Tella. O'Neill and Morley started every game last season and contributed 13 goals, seven assists and 10 goals, five assists, respectively. Tella started eight games last year and added to the team's depth in the middle last season. She will see time at both middie and attacker this season.
The freshman class adds five new faces to the midfield this season. Carley St. Lucia, Jennifer Meek, Abigail Gotfredson, Jacklyn Yovankin and Sarah Foster will challenge for minutes this season. St. Lucia, a much- heralded recruit from Bethlehem Central (Delmar, N.Y.), brings versatility to the table, being both an adept scorer and passer. Yovankin provides strong playmaking ability, having registered an impressive 80 assists as a senior in high school.
Defense
The Eagles return three starters to the back line for the 2002 season. Anchoring the defense will be senior Kelly Boyle and junior Lauren Meyers.
Boyle returns to the team after spending the fall season recovering from an ACL injury suffered in the last week of the 2001 season. Her experience and leadership will be key in guiding the younger players in the defense.
"We are looking forward to having Kelly back," says Krasnoo. "We did not have her in the fall and she has been working hard to get back. With her great leadership and strong communication skills, she will be a valuable asset back there."
Sophomore Kim Jacobs completes the trio of returning starters. Jacobs started all 15 games in her first year at BC and the experience gained will only help her as she begins her sophomore campaign.
"Kelly, Lauren and Kim started to turn it on towards the end of last season, helping us to finish strong. Having the three of them back, along with the new players, should make the defense even stronger this season."
Katie Kauffman started 10 games as a sophomore, scoring three goals and dishing out two assists in addition to collecting 27 groundballs. Junior Krista Lombardi played in nine games last season and looks to continue to improve. Newcomer Lauren Seery will provide needed depth at the position, while gaining valuable playing experience.
Goal
Sophomore Rachel Zeller returns from the 2001 season. Zeller started and played every minute of all 15 games last season as the Eagles' lone 'keeper.
"Rachel had a lot of pressure on her last year, but she responded well and had a great freshman season. We are looking forward to her playing this season, having a full season under her belt. We are also fortunate this year that we have depth at the goalie position. Last year, Rachel had to be mentally tough. If she was having a bad day or a bad half, she needed to pull together and try to save the next shot. And that is to her advantage coming into this season."
Unlike last season, Coach Krasnoo will have multiple goalkeepers to choose from with the addition of two freshman, Sara Carpenter and Michelle Lawson.
Carpenter comes from a strong high school program (Severn School in Maryland), where she faced stiff competition for four seasons, a fact that bodes well for her, as she adapts to the speed of play at the college level.
Lawson, too, has tremendous talent that she will showcase at Boston College. The native of Birmingham, England has faced strong international opposition playing as the backup for England's National Team last year.
The fall season gave the coaches a chance to evaluate the talent available to them. It was also the beginning of the learning process for the numerous newcomers. Having a few matches under their belts, Coach Krasnoo is as optimistic as ever about the prospects for the future.
"If the fall is any indication of our work rate and commitment to winning, commitment to the team and to the school, then we have every reason to expect success this spring and beyond."
