W. Lacrosse Picked Second in 2015 Skyline Preseason Poll
NEW YORK, N.Y. – Led by senior captains Caitlynn Webber and Nicole Lyman and junior Heather Ferchland, the St. Joseph's Golden Eagles women's lacrosse team was predicted to finish second in a 2015 Skyline Conference preseason poll conducted by the league's eight head coaches.
Farmingdale State, with the return of seniors Nicole Marzocca and Christy Thoden, has been selected to defend its Skyline women's lacrosse crown with six first-place votes and 48 overall points, while 2014 runner-up St. Joseph's received 44 total points and garnered a pair of first-place votes.
Bolstered by the return of junior midfielder Heather Ferchland, who led the Skyline with 67 goals, St. Joseph's seeks to build upon its program-best 15-win campaign in 2014. The Golden Eagles (15-6, 6-1 Skyline) allowed an average of just 8.73 goals per game last season, the fewest in the conference. They return three All-Skyline First Team players to the roster in Lyman, Ferchland and Ela Igdeler.
FSC compiled an 18-2 overall record last season while advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2009. Thoden, the reigning Skyline Player of the Year, led the conference in draw controls (155) while amassing 46 goals and 39 assists. Marzocca was the league-leader in both assists (47) and points (106) while also tallying a team-high 59 goals. Both players were named to the 2014 IWLCA All-Region team.
Mount Saint Mary finished third in the preseason poll with 37 total points. The Knights posted a 5-2 mark in Skyline play a year ago and welcome back sophomore attack Katie Gattoni, who led the team in both goals (44) and points (51) in 2014.
Mount Saint Vincent placed fourth in the voting with 27 points, followed by Purchase (25), Maritime (17), Sage (16) and Old Westbury (10).
The semifinals of the four-team 2015 Skyline Women's Lacrosse Championship will be held on Wednesday, Apr. 29, with the finals scheduled for Saturday, May 2. The champion will receive the league's automatic berth to the 2015 NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championship.
2015 Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Farmingdale State (6) - 48
2. St. Joseph's-L.I. (2) - 44
3. Mount Saint Mary - 37
4. Mount Saint Vincent - 27
5. Purchase - 25
6. Maritime - 17
7. Sage - 16
8. Old Westbury - 10
First-place votes in parentheses
