LAKELAND – The Florida Southern women's lacrosse team will open its fourth season of play on Friday, Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. against Grand Valley State at Bryant Stadium.
The Moccasins will look to continue the success they achieved a year ago. The team finished with a 16-2 record and both losses came at the hands of opponents ranked inside the nation's top 10. The Mocs' explosive offense ranked third in Division II in scoring with 17.0 goals per game, led by All-American selections Megan Asper and Lorianne Hoover at midfield, and Caitlin Chase at attack. On the defensive end, Katie Hammerer repeated as the Division II Goalie of the Year and Gabby Barowski earned All-American recognition.
Despite the 16-win season and all of the individual accolades, the Mocs were not one of the four teams from the South Region invited to the NCAA Division II Tournament.
Head coach Kara Reber once again has her eyes set on the big dance, but for the first time in program history, has a conference championship to strive for as well. The Sunshine State Conference is in its first season sponsoring women's lacrosse in 2015 and the Mocs, formerly an independent, were favored to win the league crown in the preseason coaches' poll.
"Having the Sunshine State Conference tournament will definitely give us something to work towards," said Reber, winner of three straight Independent Coach of the Year awards. "We're always working towards the NCAA Tournament bid and the championship, but with only a few teams going to the NCAA Tournament, you can lose two games and know you're completely out of it, so having the conference tournament as a possibility to win is definitely a goal we're glad to have the opportunity to strive for."
In 2014, the Mocs swept their SSC foes Rollins, Saint Leo and Tampa by a combined score of 55-23.
FSC enters the season ranked ninth in the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Division II Preseason Poll. Hoping to use strength of schedule to her advantage at the end of the season, Reber's team is scheduled to play eight teams from inside the top-20: No. 1 Adelphi, the defending national champion, No. 3 Lindenwood, No. 5 Limestone, No. 13 Regis (Colo.), No. 17 Queens (N.C.), No. 18 Rollins, No. 19 Seton Hill, and Friday's opponent Grand Valley State, tied at No. 20.
"I don't think you can have an easy schedule and hope to get into the NCAA Tournament," Reber said. "We want to play as many top teams as we possibly can to see where we fit. Playing stronger teams will make us stronger."
Asper, Chase and Hoover headline the group of returning letterwinners on the Mocs' potent offense.
Chase, a Second-Team All-American at attack, finished third in the nation with 111 points and 68 assists. She was also third on the team with 43 goals. Lacrosse Magazine named the Mt. Laurel, N.J., native a preseason All-American.
"We expect her to do the same thing she's been doing, making sure she is a threat in goal-scoring column and the assist column," said Reber of Chase. "She's just somebody who sees the field well and has a high lacrosse IQ."
At midfield, Asper (Parkton, Md.) was named a First-Team All-American in 2014, leading the team and finishing 12th in Division II with 62 goals. Hoover (Annapolis, Md.), a Third-Team All-American, scored 48 goals with 21 assists for 69 points, third-most on the team. Asper and Hoover finished first and third, respectively, on the team in ground balls with 55 and 43 while finishing one-two in draw controls.
"I know that they can improve upon how they have played the last three years," Reber said. "They're looking to have really strong senior seasons as well."
Asper, Chase and Hoover, three of the team's four seniors, also return as team captains for 2015.
"They are leaders on the field and off the field and all three are returning All-(South) Region and All-Americans," Reber said. "They are essentially coaches on the field, and as seniors, they also represent three-fourths of the program's first graduating class. As coaches, we trust them to lead this team in the right direction."
Alongside Chase at the attack position is junior Ashley Robertson (Ellicott City, Md.). Last season, Robertson started 16 games and scored 24 goals.
"She's a speedy, quick attacker who can be successful, especially when she and Cait Chase connect," Reber said.
In addition, sophomore Sarah Dibble (Sanford, Fla.), who netted a dozen goals in her rookie season, and redshirt sophomore Allie Kryjak (Potomac, Md.), who started 11 games and collected nine goals and seven assists, will provide depth at the position.
"I think there is a lot of potential, and we have good depth at the attacking positions, so we can see a good variety of people contributing from the attack," Reber said.
Returning with Asper and Hoover at midfield will be sophomore Kendall Kerge (Edgewater, Md.). Kerge scored 18 goals in only 13 games in 2014. The remaining five midfielders on the roster this season are freshmen, but Reber believes one in particular will make an impact right away.
"Freshmen Emily Santoli I think is going to fill that third midfield spot for us and do a good job complementing both Megan and Lori," said the fourth-year head coach.
Juniors Barowski (Alexandria, Va.), Nicole Bellini (Winter Park, Fla.) and Rachael Griffith (Ellicott City, Md.) will bring experience to the defensive unit. A Third-Team All-American selection, Barowski scooped 30 ground balls and caused 23 turnovers in 2014. Griffith had 28 ground balls and 17 caused turnovers. Bellini transferred from Division I Old Dominion.
"Barowski's speed is definitely going to be utilized on defense," Reber said. "Bellini has definitely added a lot to our defensive lineup as well, and Griffith is the core communicator back there."
The defensive unit will need to perform well to support a goalkeeping spot that, for the first time in three years, is up for grabs.
Hammerer, a two-time Goalie of the Year, was a big part of Florida Southern's success as a program despite its youth. She started 45 of the program's 49 games over the past three seasons, going 37-9 and making 356 total saves. She set program records with 125 saves and a goals-against average of 8.92 as a senior last season.
Sophomore Taylor Gillis (Bel Air, Md.) was the only other play to see time between the pipes last year. In nearly 180 minutes of playing time, she made 11 saves and had an 8.02 goals-against average. Also competing for the spot is senior Meghan Colucci (Glocester, R.I.) despite spending her first three seasons at FSC as an attacker. Redshirt sophomore Ashley Seborowski (Annapolis, Md.) and freshman Paige Brodbeck (Millersville, Md.) are the other options inside the crease.
"I think we have depth in our goalkeeping position, and depending on who is on their game, any one could step in and help us back there," Reber said. "Katie Hammerer is a big loss on that end. We're not looking to fill her shoes but to find the next person to step up and fill that role."
The Lakers from Grand Valley State travel south from Allendale, Mich., to take on the Mocs for the first time. Last season, they went 13-5 and won their second straight Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title. GVSU returns its two leading scorers from 2014 in redshirt senior Sarah Lowe and sophomore Ryan Skomial. Lowe had a team-high 43 assists and 60 points while Skomial led the Lakers with 38 goals and was second with 54 points en route to the GLIAC Freshman of the Year award. Two-time conference Defender of the Year Alyssa Neumen returns for her senior season on the backend.
Following the season-opener against GVSU, the Mocs host nine straight games at Bryant Stadium. On Tuesday, Feb. 24, they welcome the reigning Division II national champions from Adelphi to Lakeland for a 7 p.m. tilt.
