POUGHKEEPSIE, New York – Marist women's lacrosse returned to the field for its first practice over the weekend, and with that marks the beginning of the 2020 season. Prior to the first game of the season, which will be Saturday, February 8 at Colgate, we will be taking a look into the team's positional groups every week. For this period, we will dive into the team's group of attackers.
- The Red Foxes are in great shape when it comes to who is returning from last year on the offensive end of the field. The team lost just two attackers to graduation after last season, although that does not mean they won't be missed.
- Hailey Wagner and Audrey Cerrone both wrapped up their four-year careers following the 2019 season.
- Wagner was an incredibly valuable member of the Red Foxes on both the attacking end, as well as because of her prowess with draw controls. Last season, she set an NCAA record with 224 draw controls on the season, and was named Inside Lacrosse Honorable Mention All-American Draw Control Specialist. However, she was also a force to be reckoned with on the attack, finishing third on the team with 48 total points. Other accolades from last season include being named All-MAAC First Team, MAAC Student Athlete of the Year, CoSIDA All-American Third Team, MAAC All-Tournament Team, and Marist Female Sportsperson of the year. It is fair to say her leadership and production on and off the field will be tough to replicate.
- Cerrone played a valuable role off the bench last season for the Red Foxes. She appeared in 15 games, and ranked fifth on the team with 14 goals on the year. She even netted a hat trick to go with three ground balls against Iona on April 20 last season. She had 54 goals and nine assists in her career, and was named to the All-MAAC Academic Team all three years that she was eligible,
- With Mehalick back, the Red Foxes are returning their leading goal scorer from not only last year, but also in the history of the program. Scoring 79 goals (also a single season program/MAAC record) last season, she led the team by over 40 goals. Mahalick scored a program record 11 goals in one game against Manhattan on April 27, 2019. She was also an All-MAAC First Team Attack selection, two-time MAAC Offensive Player of the Week, and a member of the All-MAAC Tournament team last year.
- With George returning, Marist not only gets back its leading passer, but also a quality goal scorer. George led the team with 26 total assists last season, and was third on the team with 27 goals. Although she is just a junior, George is already ninth on the program's all-time assists list with 54 career assists. She was also named MAAC Offensive Player of the Week back on April, 8 last season for the first time in her career.
- In Connolly, the Red Foxes are getting back a steady, balanced force who is a leader both on and off the field. A member of the MAAC All-Academic Team last season, she finished fourth on the team with 26 goals, and third on the team with 10 assists. She even tallied a career-high eight draw controls on opening day last season against at Army West Point.
- Carly Grant was the main attacker off the bench for the Red Foxes, and she is back for more this season. Entering her senior season, Grant has scored 11 career goals, and has one career assist. Petraccione, Stockman, and Wagner have combined for 16 games played and 2 goals in their careers.
Four new freshman attackers are joining the program ahead of the 2020 season. The group consists of
Kelly Trotta,
Olivia Arntsen,
Kerri Gutenberger, and
Jillian Canner. Head Coach Jessica Wilkinson expects the majority of this group, if not all of the group, to see significant playing time this season. She believes this freshman class has the ability to have a major impact on the offensive end, and could play a larger role than fans may expect.
"I'm particularly excited about our attacking unit this year, for a number of reasons," Wilkinson said. "The team has embraced Coach Larson's return to Marist as our offensive coach, and, with a mix of both new and experienced players, she has the ability to coach a multi-faceted unit. Returners like Mehalick, George and Connolly all have the experience under their belts but have been asked to try new things including new offensive positions. There's a sense of selflessness right now that we can only benefit from, and it's coming from every class. This naturally allows us to move the ball quickly while seeing multiple threats from all points of the field. I believe if we can continue to push our attack creatively and with confidence, as one unit, we can be very successful."
