Reining CCC Champions Selected Second in Preseason Coaches’ Poll

2014 CCC Women's Lacrosse Preseason Coaches' Poll

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) released their annual Preseason Women's Lacrosse Coaches' Poll which listed Endicott to finish second behind Western New England in the 2014 standings. The race was close as the Golden Bears earned five first place votes to the four for the reigning CCC Champions. Voting for the preseason poll was conducted among the league's head women's lacrosse coaches.

Coming in behind the top two spots is Gordon (60 points) who finished as the #3 seed in the 2013 regular season, followed by semifinalist Curry (49 points). The University of New England (48), Roger Williams (40), Nichols (23), Salve Regina (23) and Wentworth (11) round out the 2014 standings.

The Endicott women's lacrosse team is coming off a thrilling 2013 season that saw their goals completed as the squad made program history as they advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in their eight trips to the dance after defeating Springfield 4-3 in the first round.

The program has been nothing but consistent under the helm of Head Coach Meghan Fitzgerald who is entering her sixth season with the Gulls. For the 2014 team they are looking to continue their success by adding another CCC title to the books and making waves on the national level while elevating themselves to one of the elite teams in the region. Endicott posted a 13-8, (7-1 CCC) record last season while adding an eighth consecutive Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) championship to their banner.

In order to reach their goals Coach Fitzgerald will take a different approach as she says "I try to focus on day to day expectations. I feel as though if our players come out every day working hard to get better and doing their best to make their teammates better than our goals become more attainable."

Despite the loss of an impactful senior class in 2013 the Blue and Green will welcome back five seniors, which will be led by tri-captains Kelsey Barnes, Callie Murphy and Rachel Campos.

Barnes will look to be the anchor of the backfield and defend her title of 2013 Defensive Player of the Year with the help of junior Kelsey Drought and sophomores Elizabeth Reda and Brenna Shannon all whom will be vying for time in the defensive zone.

Helping out in the midfield on both sides of the ball will be Campos and juniors Ellie Clayman and Siri Mason who will both bring skill, speed and experience to the middle. Also looking to time in the midfield will be freshman Meghan Lennon who will play an important role in the offensive zone for her speed, while freshman Chelsea Burke will make an impact in the defensive midfield.

Between the pipes Endicott will welcome back All-CCC First Team member Ryan Socolow who played in every minute for the Gulls last season while posting a .467 save percentage. Backing up the senior will be rookie Michelle Truncali who is expected to see time in the net.

On The attack Endicott lost their two top scorers to graduation in Holly Davis and Kelly Tierney but they will look to Murphy (42), Mason (19) and sophomore Katie Tierney (16) to take control in the offensive ends as the will all return as the top scorers from 2013 for the returning squad. Murphy will enter the season as one of the most experienced and with her vision and on the field presence is it Coach Fitzgerald's hopes that the attack will follow in her stead.

Also coming in on the attack is junior Kirsten Thor, whom Coach Fitzgerlad said "She has definitely stepped up in the fall season and has emerged as a leader on the field. She has a strong vision on the attack and knows what we are trying to do here." Along with Thor, Coach Fitzgerald is eager to see sophomore Isabelle Sipperly and newcomer Emily Whitney who are both expected to make a strong impact on the attack.

This 2014 team has a lot to take on but they are up for the challenge expressed Coach Fitzgerald saying "We are very young but we have all the pieces in place we just have to work as a whole to put it all together."

Endicott will play a tough out of conference schedule in order to prepare for conference play and compete for their ninth consecutive CCC title. They will start the season off with a set of five games against regional powerhouses Babson, #8 Bowdoin, Bates, Wheaton and Wellesley. After some CCC play they will wrap up out of conference play hitting the road to Southern Maine then hosting Tufts on April 9th.

Playing a competitive out of conference schedule is important for this group of Gulls as Coach Fitzgerald explains, "We schedule to start strong for a reason, I want us to play the best in order to prepare us for our road ahead and help make us the best we can be. We want to be able to compete with some of the top teams in the region so we can be ready for the conference tournament and hopefully the NCAA Tournament."

The Blue and Green will make their 2014 debut on March 5^th at 4:00 p.m. at Endicott Stadium when they host Wellesley.

Each home game on the 2014 schedule will be made available online for those who cannot attend via live statistics and a live webcast.  Check the schedule page for links to those offerings.

 2014 CCC Women's Lacrosse Preseason Coaches' Poll