2008 Lacrosse Preview

For any young coach, qualifying for the post-season play as a head coach is an important milestone. Bloomsburg University lacrosse coach Leah Quigley was able to take care of that milestone in her first year of coaching and now looks to build upon that success, not just by getting to the playoffs, but advancing beyond the opening round.

"It was a great achievement to reach the PSAC playoffs in my first year as coach. However, we now need to build upon that accomplishment to keep moving forward," said Quigley. "I believe we have a team that has good depth at almost every position. I know that they will come out and play hard in each game, which will help us achieve our goal of a PSAC championship."

ATTACK: In the attack, the Huskies are anchored by three juniors in Kelsey Quigley, Mary Chirchilla and Sam Alexander. Quigley netted 29 goals and recorded 10 assists a year ago on her way to earning All-PSAC honors. Chirchilla returns after scoring 11 goals and getting eight assists last year.

But, the biggest addition to the attack could be Alexander, who missed the entire 2007 season with an injury. In 2006, Alexander scored 35 goals to finish second on the team in scoring and also earned an All-PSAC selection. Alexander comes into this season looking to be as much of a force on offense as she was two seasons ago. Freshman Kylie Matthews also looks to log playing time on the attack throughout the season and should be a solid contributor on the offensive end as the season progresses.

MIDFIELD: In the midfield, the Huskies return several talented perfomers. Senior Cali Toms led the squad in scoring last season with 31 goals and seven assists. Along with Toms, fellow senior Angie Picciotti looks to build off her 2007 season that saw her score 26 goals and garner a spot on the All-PSAC team.

Sophomore Kim Springman also returns after finishing fifth on the team in goals scored with 22. Junior Cara McGroarty will be more of a defensive force, while fresdhman Kayla Efaw will add depth to the midfield.

DEFENSE: Junior Andrea Schweitzer will anchor the Huskies defense in 2008. Schweitzer has developed into a solid player and led the team in ground balls last year with 37. Along with Schweitzer, sophomore Erica Nevi and freshmen Ashley Bowers and Rebecca Belmonte will also compete for time on defense.

GOALKEEPER: Two familiar faces return in goal for the Huskies in senior Bridget Maenner and junior Justine Coleman. Maenner saw most of the playing time last season, appearing in all 17 games making 135 saves with a goals against average of 10.73. Coleman saw playing time in five games a year ago and will backup Maenner.

OVERALL: Bloomsburg opens the season with an out-of-conference test against Pfeiffer University in Hilton Head, SC on March 11th. Pfeiffer, along with Mercyhurst and Philadelphia University, round out the Huskies out-of-conference schedule.

"Pfeiffer will be a big game for us," said Quigley. "They have a solid program and should be a test for us early in the year. I believe our out of conference schedule is strong. Those teams will assist in preparing us for our PSAC opponents. When you want to get to the level we want to in the PSAC, you have to challenge yourself out of the league. Playing these games will set a tone for us for the rest of the season."

In the PSAC , Bloomsburg looks to challenge defending conference champion West Chester, along with Lock Haven , the program that knocked the Huskies out of the playoffs last year. But, with a strong nucleus of players coming back, Bloomsburg has the look of a contending team once again in the conference.

"We're expecting nothing less than what we accomplished last season," added Quigley. "The one thing we have stressed all fall is consistency. For us to move forward as a team, we have to be consistent. As long as we work together, we can achieve the goals we have set out for ourselves."