KUTZTOWN, Pa. (March 4, 2011) – Members of the Kutztown University women's lacrosse team glanced at the 2011 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) preseason coaches' poll, saw their name behind several other teams and started snickering.
Maybe it's because the Golden Bears know something that nobody else does as they head to South Carolina to open their 2011 season against a pair of squads from the Carolinas Conference in Eskrine and Converse. Perhaps, the players know that all of the 6 a.m. weight-lifting, and four-mile runs will make a difference by the time the season concludes in April.
“I like being the underdog because nobody expects anything from you,” sophomore Randy Vite (Highland Mills, NY/Monroe-Woodbury) said. “We expect a lot out of ourselves because we've worked so hard in the off season. We're looking forward to getting our season started. As a team, we know we've improved so much from last year and we're anxious to show it.”
The Golden Bears were picked behind an Edinboro team they beat last season, 10-9. Well, one way to look at the pick, Kutztown has nowhere to go but up this season. The Golden Bears won three games last season, but by the time the season ended they were a different squad than the one that started with a defeat to Georgian Court.
One of Kutztown's wins last season was against Erskine, 27-1. The Golden Bears set a school record for goals scored in a single game. The Golden Bears will open against Erskine (1-2 overall) Tuesday night at 6 p.m. They will conclude their trip at Converse (0-3) Thursday afternoon in a 4:00 p.m. tilt. Erskine defeated Converse, 19-16, last week. Converse was picked to finish fifth in the C-C preseason poll and Erskine was selected ninth.
With only one senior, four juniors and a ton of underclassmen on the roster, the Golden Bears are approaching their season-opening journey with the excitement of a bunch of kids at Chuck E. Cheese.
“We're all excited for this trip,” Vite said. “Our goal is to come back home with two wins. It's good to start a season with a nice road trip because we all can bond and get to know one another.”
There will be some bonding experiences between games for the Golden Bears, who plan to hold their annual double-dutch and T-shirt decorating contests. Mainly, they will enjoy each other's company on the 10-plus hour bus ride, watch movies, and text all their buddies to tell them all about the fun they're having.
Vite will be a vital part of the Golden Bears defense. She led the team with 17 caused turnovers and 53 ground balls last year. She will be joined defensively by Emily Savini (Langhorne, PA/Neshaminy) and Justine Simonsen (Hatboro, PA/Upper Moreland). They combined to cause 44 turnovers last season. Perhaps one of the biggest additions for the Golden Bears this season has been assistant coach Christina Fried, who experienced plenty of success while playing for Lock Haven.
Erskine is led by Savannah Nunn, who was selected as the NCAA Division II Conference Carolinas women's lacrosse Player of the Week. She scored her first collegiate goal and led Erskine to their first-ever win as a program against conference foe Converse College. Nunn scored five goals and had three assists in the 19-16 win over Converse. She currently leads Erskine in goals and assists with eight and three respectively for the season as the Flying Fleet currently stand at 1-2 overall and 1-1 in conference play.
Converse is led by Lacey Bevilacqua, Brianna Hoffman, and Page Fortuna. They all scored four goals during an 18-17 defeat to Lenoir-Rhyne.
The Golden Bears will be without their top returning goal scorer from last year and best storyteller Jen Dunne (Chalfront, PA/Central Bucks South), who will not make the trip. Dunne will be rehabbing from an injury. Kutztown still has Rachel Mehaffey (Woodbury, NJ/West Deptford) (24 goals last season) and Leann Pica (16) back to stalk opposing defenses. Overall, the Golden Bears believe their best lacrosse is ahead of them. They understand that where a team starts isn't how it finishes.
“I think we have a lot of potential this year to do some really good things,” junior Megan Schwarr said. “We just can't wait to get on a field and see what we're able to do with the ball against another team. If we do what we believe we can, then we don't have to worry about proving people wrong. We just want to have a good trip south.”
--KU--
