MICHELLE HALE
Sports Editor
Fredonia’s women’s lacrosse team is used to one thing: success.
According to the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches’ Association pre-season poll, Fredonia is currently ranked No. 15 in the country for NCAA Division III teams.
A brand new season calls for a brand new team and system. Losing seniors is a constant every year, but with a major part of the team being returners, the Blue Devils are hoping to keep the success going.
The Blue Devils graduated four seniors last season, and two of them left some major shoes to fill in this upcoming season. Katie Kleine and Marissa Cussins are two of the top scorers in the record books and held the team together on offense last year.
“They led the team because of their consistency,” said Head Coach Amy Simon. “It’s going to be a little tougher this year without them, but we are focusing on having an overall balanced attack instead of depending on certain players.”
With that being said, Simon brought in six freshmen who she thinks will contribute to the Blue Devils’ success this season. One of them is Jade Williams, who is adapting to the style of collegiate play quickly.
“[Williams] has really strong fundamental skills and is just a smart player,” said Simon.
But adding new players isn’t the whole problem — it’s working together as a team and motivating each other to have the will to win in practices and games.
“The rest of the returners and I are constantly reminding all the new players how fun last spring was and how much we want to build off a great season,” said sophomore captain Audrey Yokopovich.
Yokopovich is one of the starting midfielders that will help set the tone on and off the field to help prepare the team for the start of this season.
Along with Yokopovich in the middle, junior midfielder and younger Kleine sister Kristie Kleine will be another stand out that will help set the tone on attack and defense.
The Blue Devils begin their season play by traveling to Montclair, New Jersey to face The College of New Jersey on Saturday and Montclair State on Sunday.
The College of New Jersey made it to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Division III tournament last year and finished with a strong record of 18-4.
On the other hand, Montclair State has faced the Blue Devils once before when they traveled to Fredonia last season. The Blue Devils defeated the Red Hawks 12-5. Although the Red Hawks didn’t make it to the NCAA tournament, they still will be tough competition.
“We have a tough schedule this year, but I think it’s exciting for us,” said senior captain Juliana Kotas. “We have enough talent and skill to beat those teams, but that doesn’t come without hard work and dedication.”
Along with the hard work the players are putting into their practices, they also have one more key aspect that will always have room for improvement — communication.
“If we can’t communicate on defense it’s going to be so much harder,” said Simon. “The good teams are going to change it up, and I think that, the more we can communicate and work together to make adjustments, we will be successful.”
The goals for the Blue Devils remain the same as years passed — make the SUNYAC final and earn a bid into the NCAA tournament.
The pre-season poll might say that the Blue Devils are 15th in the nation, but Simon reminded the team that this should only be a small part of motivation for the team’s success.
“It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish,” said Simon.