NEWTON, Mass. - The 2014 Mount Ida College women's lacrosse team looks to build off of a successful 2013 season in which they made the GNAC tournament for the fourth consecutive year. Mount Ida second year head coach Nicole Poli is looking for her team to be more consistent as a whole. Coach Poli says, "Consistency is the key to this year's success. The more consistent we can be on both ends of the field the more successful we are going to be, especially once conference play begins."
With several key returning veterans and a plethora of impact freshmen, the Mustangs are eager to get back on the field. Mount Ida was chosen to finish 7th out of 11 teams in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play, something Coach Poli says will be added motivation to get over last year's quarterfinal loss to Lasell.
The Mustangs will kick off the 2014 campaign Saturday afternoon at M.I.T. with game time slated for 1:00 p.m. Coach Poli and first year assistant coaches Liz Greeley and Jess Paulin have had six weeks of practice and are ready to get things started with the Engineers this weekend.
The strength of this year's Mustangs team is the attack in which they welcome back their two leading goal scorers from a year ago, senior Molly Sheppard (Brookhaven, N.Y.) and junior Amanda Bowen (Randolph, Vt.). As a first team All-Conference player, Bowen led the team in goals last season tallying 46 goals while notching 11 assists, and Sheppard recorded 26 tallies and 12 assists. Bowen and Sheppard, both known as big game finishers and playmakers will be relied on again in 2014 to take control of the attack and make things happen for the Mustang offense.
Also anchoring this year on attack will be junior Kaitlyn Affhauser (Cheshire, Mass.) Affhauser who is according to Coach Poli "a tremendous offensive asset" brings outstanding leadership to the team as an upperclassman and is a positive role model to those underclassmen on the team. Affhauser tallied 13 goals and 8 assists in 2013 as she will be looking to add to those totals in 2014.
This year's midfield consists of newcomers Rebecca Beaulieu (Weare, N.H.) and Nicole Pavao (Peabody, Mass.) Beaulieu, a two sport athlete at Mount Ida, also a member of the women's soccer team, is a talented player that Coach Poli says will be a tremendous asset to the program over the next four years. "Becky is a very talented midfield player who plays well on both ends of the field and is an all-around great player. Beaulieu is willing to challenge herself and her teammates on and off the field." Pavao, a smart player on the attack, connects well with the offensive unit on and off the ball and will be relied upon to work alongside Beaulieu in the midfield.
The 2014 Mustang defense will be headed by senior tri-captains Alison Koning (Carlisle, Mass.), Kayla Bravo (East Providence, R.I.) and Stephanie Kehoe (Saugus, Mass). Named team captains because of their tremendous leadership abilities, Poli says, "Alison, Kayla, and Stephanie are all well balanced, smart, and fearless players." This makes them a formidable trio in the Mustang defense. Named captains by their teammates, Koning, Bravo, and Kehoe are well respected by their peers, creating a positive team culture.
Senior Christina Gedick (Acton, Mass.) and freshman Kailee Lutz (Foxboro, Mass.) will work with Sheppard, Bowen, and Affhauser on the attacking front while looking to add some depth to the offense that will hopefully propel the Mustangs into the GNAC tournament.
First year player and junior midfielder Nicole Batakis (East Longmeadow, Mass.), freshman Nikki Kinnen (Salem, N.H.) and junior Anastasia Padilla (Cromwell, Ct.) will all be heavily relied on to contribute in the Mustang midfield with Beaulieu and Pavao.
Senior Tiana Howard (Taunton, Mass.) and junior Brenna Santos will add veteran leadership to a defensive core that looks to anchor the defense in front of junior starting goalie Sammy Levitt (Wayland, Mass.)
While a home rematch of last year's GNAC quarterfinal on April 15th against local foe Lasell is an enticing game on the schedule, the Mustangs will have their hands full with a tough non-conference schedule, starting Saturday at MIT. They will play four straight away games before opening their home schedule on March 12th against Salem State. They then hit the road again for their GNAC opener three days later at Johnson & Wales.