Over the past four seasons, one squad has dominated the NESCAC women's lacrosse scene: the Colby Mules, who have reached the conference championship game in each of the last four years, winning the title in 2008 and 2009. However, in last year's tournament, the Mules were upset by the Williams Ephs in the final — Williams' first ever NESCAC title.
Despite Colby's success in the conference tournament, seven of the ten teams finished last year with an overall winning record, making women's lacrosse one of the most competitive sports in the NESCAC.
The contenders
Trinity Bantams: Trinity will be looking to build on a strong 2010 campaign, which saw it post a 7-2 conference record and claim the regular season NESCAC title by one game. However, Trinity was upset in heartbreaking fashion in the conference tournament, losing 11-10 to No. 7 Williams in the semifinals. The Bantams went on to reach the NCAA quarterfinals.
Trinity will begin the new season ranked No. 7 in the preseason Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) poll and with every reason to be confident in a NESCAC repeat. Though the Bantams will sorely miss the leadership of attackman Kristin Phelps, who graduated after last season, they have a pool of young talent to draw from, including sophomore midfielder Meghan Leonard, who notched 32 goals last year. Trinity will also look to senior attackman Caitlin Irvine, who scored a team-leading 42 goals last season, to lead it back to the summit of the NESCAC.
Tufts Jumbos: In 2010, the Jumbos were kept afloat by their prolific offense, as they led the NESCAC in almost every offensive category — goals, assists, points and shots — in conference games. However, Tufts will need to improve on its somewhat lackluster defense, which allowed the third most goals in the conference last season, if they hope to finish the regular season as the NESCAC's number-one seed.
The Jumbos will also have to compensate for the loss of defenseman Alyssa Kopp (LA '10), who was named a First-Team All-American last season. Senior tri-captains, defensemen Lily Colahan and Yael Tzipori and goalie Sara Bloom, will try to lead a young squad to the top of the league, a task made more difficult by the fact that Colahan may be out for the season with an injury.
Colby Mules: The Mules have enjoyed an unprecedented run of success under coach Karen MacCrate Henning, having made the NESCAC championship game in each of the last four years despite not earning the No. 1 seed in any of those tournaments. Look for junior midfielder Claire Donegan to spearhead a quick Mules attack, with senior goalie Sarah Warnke leading a defense that was solid last season.
Bowdoin Polar Bears: Bowdoin also fell victim to the rampaging Ephs last year, losing a thrilling 14-12 game in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament. However, Bowdoin finished the regular season strongly and had a conference record of 6-3. It will be looking to senior co-captain midfielders Ingrid Oelschlager and Katy Dissinger to improve on the Polar Bears' best conference record since 2006. Junior attackman Liz Clegg will also try to lead the offense and boost her 35-goal output in 2010. After several years of struggles, don't be surprised to see the Polar Bears among the league leaders at the end of the year.
On the brink
Amherst Lord Jeffs: Without question, the Lord Jeffs represented the counterpart to Tufts last year — they were the defensive specialists, allowing just 69 goals over the course of the conference regular season. However, they were woefully weak on offense, scoring a conference-low 66 times in nine NESCAC games, making them the only team in the top six to have a negative goal difference. Fortunately for the Jeffs, their top three point-getters are returning, but it may not be enough in a conference where four teams scored at least 102 goals in NESCAC games last season. But if junior goalkeeper Lamia Harik and senior co-captain defenseman Liz Foye can keep the defense sharp, there's no reason why Amherst can't secure a decent seed for the conference championship.
Middlebury Panthers: Middlebury was somewhat of an enigma last year, posting a plus-21 goal difference but only capturing the 6th seed, finishing one game behind a group of four teams who finished 6-3 in the NESCAC. However, this year should be another solid season for the Panthers, who will rely on a developing sophomore class that includes midfielder Margaret Souther, who managed 24 goals last season. Still, Middlebury will be hurt by the departure of leading goal-scorer Dana Heritage, so look for the Panthers to take up their familiar post between fifth and seventh in the league standings.
Williams Ephs: The Ephs went on one of the greatest runs in NESCAC women's lacrosse history last year to capture their first conference title, beating both Bowdoin and Trinity in dramatic fashion before downing Colby in the final. As the No. 7 seed, they played on the road all three times and erased second-half deficits of four and five goals against Bowdoin and Trinity, respectively. Yet Williams had a mediocre regular season, finishing 4-5 in the NESCAC and scoring just 86 goals in nine conference games while allowing 91. It will likely struggle to go on another miracle run this time around.
Maybe, but not likely
Bates Bobcats: Bates posted a 3-6 conference record last season and captured the last spot in the NESCAC tournament. The Bobcats are led by a core group of upperclassmen, most notably All-American junior midfielder Jenna Dannis, who scored 25 goals last season, and junior attackman Joan O'Neill, who was named to the IWLCA all-region team while scoring 38 goals. Despite last season's struggles, the Bobcats could be poised for improvement and will surely be targeting a top-six finish in the league this season.
