Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Lacrosse Kicks off 2012 Campaign Saturday at No. 5 Duke
2/3/2012 7:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
Feb. 3, 2012
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LEWISBURG, Pa. --The Bison women's lacrosse team kicks off the 2012 campaign with a pair of nationally ranked opponents, and first up is fifth-ranked Duke on Saturday. Game time is 1 p.m. at Koskinen Stadium. For Bucknell, the season opener marks the return to the sideline for head coach Randall Goldsborough, who previously coached the Bison in 2003 and 2004.
Goldsborough is overseeing a youthful Bucknell squad in her first year back, but she has challenged them right from the start. After opening up with a Duke team that made it to the Final Four a year ago, the Bison will host 17th-ranked Penn State on Feb. 15, followed by a trip to Duquesne, one of the top teams in the Atlantic 10.
“The girls are so excited to open the season with Duke,” says Goldsborough. “They are going to be in a position to challenge themselves right away, and hopefully we can draw on that experience for the rest of the year. Duke is one of those programs that we would like to emulate. I can't predict how many games we will win this year, but I know that the program is going to be in a good place. We are fit, excited and dedicated to being as good as we can possibly be. The players in the program truly want to be good. They have so many great things going for them as student-athletes at Bucknell, but they want success in lacrosse to help define who they are.”
Bucknell and Duke will be facing off for the very first time in women's lacrosse. The Blue Devils return eight starters and 24 letterwinners from last year's 15-5 squad that lost to Maryland in the national semifinals. Senior Emma Hamm is Duke's top returning scorer after totaling 76 points in 2011. The Blue Devils also return three All-Americans in Hamm, senior Kat Thomas and senior Kim Wenger.
The Bison will see a familiar face on the Duke sideline on Saturday, as former Bucknell head coach Caline McHenry is now a volunteer assistant with the Blue Devils.
Below is a closer look at the Bison entering the 2012 season:
Seven years ago Randall Goldsborough had a feeling that one day she might find herself back at Bucknell. One of the most successful figures in American women's lacrosse, Goldsborough came to Lewisburg in 2003 for her first Division I head coaching job. But after two strong seasons, she resigned to focus on one more run with the U.S. National Team.
A part of three national championship teams as a student-athlete and coach at Maryland and a 12-year member of Team USA, where she was part of a World Cup-winning squad in 2001, Goldsborough served as head coach at two top prep schools in the Washington, D.C., area and as an assistant coach at Stanford after departing Bucknell. But when the head coaching position at Bucknell opened up last spring, it seemed like an obvious fit from both sides.
“Bucknell has always had a special place in my heart ever since I left, and I have been waiting for the right chance to get back,” Goldsborough said after accepting the position in June. “I am absolutely thrilled to be back. The timing worked out perfectly for me to come back into a role that I once cherished. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but this is a program that can be successful in the very near future.”
As she returns to Bucknell, Goldsborough will be taking over one of the youngest teams in the country. The 2012 Bison have no seniors, four juniors, 10 sophomores and 12 freshmen. The program has struggled in the win-loss column recently, but with such a young team there is very little institutional knowledge of past seasons, and Goldsborough says that every bit of the team's focus is directed on the future.
“The bottom line is that we want our student-athletes to have a great experience at Bucknell,” says Goldsborough. “We want them to truly be a family, to care about their teammates, and also to play great lacrosse. That emphasis on family has happened already through fall ball and the offseason, and now we are able to focus on X's and O's. It is going to take a lot of hard work, but everyone really wants to do it.”
The team's two juniors — Madison Hurwitz and Adrienne Wendling — along with sophomore Sophie Kleinert, have been elected captains for 2012. Hurwitz scored a career-high 29 goals last season, tying her for the team lead. Last year's top point-producer, midfielder Katelyn Miller (24 goals, 13 assists, 37 points), is also back as a sophomore this year. Wendling has played both defense and midfield, and she was coached by Goldsborough as a freshman at The Bullis School, so she is familiar with her coaching style and system.
The Bison lost three starters to graduation following last season, including two former All-Patriot Leaguers in do-everything middie Julia Braun and four-year starting goalie and Academic All-American Alyssa DeLorenz, along with four-year starting defender Ashley St. John. Fortunately, Goldsborough inherited a solid first-year class, featuring several players who will be counted upon for key minutes right away.
Among the attack unit, Hurwitz and sophomores Lindsey Ferro and Molly Ford have the most experience, as all three were regulars a year ago. Hurwitz had seven multi-goal games, including a six-goal outburst in a win over Manhattan. Ferro tallied seven goals and four assists, and she had a five-point (3G, 2A) performance in her second career game, a win over Howard. Ford was second on the team with 12 assists last season, including a pair of five-assist games in wins over Manhattan and Howard, and she also tallied four goals. Just as important as their point production around the crease, Hurwitz, Ferro and Ford have become leaders as well.
The remainder of the attack unit also appears promising with a good diversity of skills, but the group is still in need of some seasoning. Freshmen Chloe Chou, Caroline Collins, Emily Kookogey, Arriana Sajjad and Claire Switala have all stood out in fall ball and preseason workouts. Chou is a gifted feeder who will have the ball in her stick quite a bit in the offensive end of the field. Collins came in as a defender but was moved to attack to take advantage of her driving ability. Kookogey is a powerful player with perhaps the hardest shot on the squad. Sajjad is another offensive workhorse who can drive the ball, absorb contact and create a shot. And Switala is a good post-up player who likes to work around the crease for a shot.
Miller is certainly one of the keys to the Bucknell midfield. In addition to piling up 37 points a year ago, she led the team in caused turnovers (20), ranked second in ground balls (31) and fourth in draw controls (19). Miller is a gritty player who is adept at coming out of a scrum with a 50-50 ball, and she is a big part of the team's transition game. And of utmost importance to the coaching staff, she is one of the team's most consistent performers. Miller recorded a point in 15 of the 16 games last season, including a four-point outing against Duquesne.
Wendling moved up from defense to midfield midway through last season and recorded four goals and three assists. Sophomores Kleinert and Kerri Althouse also figure to play prominent roles. Kleinert has quietly become a team leader, both vocally and through her hustle on the field. She played in every game last season, starting 14, and logged six goals and four assists. Kleinert had a strong finish to the 2011 campaign, scoring five goals in the last four games. Althouse is one of the fastest players on the team, is an improved 1-on-1 defender, and can be a weapon in the open field.
First-year players Blair McDonald and Cori Thielemann are also battling for time in the midfield. McDonald's biggest asset is her speed, while Thielemann is a tall, steady middie who is strong on draw controls. Another newcomer, the versatile Carly Downs, has been used as a utility player, seeing time on defense, in the midfield and also up front.
The Bison do have some experience coming back on defense, led by sophomores Char D'Amico, Andrea Feldman and Elizabeth Gauf. All three started games for Bucknell last season, and all three have improved significantly in the last year. D'Amico is coming off a strong fall season, and she is a very smart player when it comes to her positioning. Feldman, who can also play midfield, is a good 1-on-1 defender with excellent footwork. Gauf rarely gets beaten and is a tough, steady defender who is learning to become more vocal in the back.
Newcomers Rebecca Vetere and Alex Wallace also join the defensive unit. Wallace, a former attacker, has battled some injuries in her short time at Bucknell, but when healthy is a solid defender who is especially strong getting the ball cleared. Vetere is a strong, fit player who quickly impressed the coaches with her footwork and technique.
Bucknell will have a new starting goalie for the first time in four years, following the graduation of DeLorenz. Sophomore Emily Fask and freshman Caroline O'Neill are battling in preseason for the starting nod.
