Thursday, March 2, 2006

MORAVIAN WOMEN’S LACROSSE TEAM PICKED TENTH IN
MIDDLE ATLANTIC CONFERENCE PRESEASON POLL

ANNVILLE, PA --- The Moravian College women’s lacrosse team has been picked to finish tenth of the 11 schools that participate in the Middle Atlantic Conference in a preseason poll of the conference’s coaches released Thursday.

The Greyhounds received 21 points. Messiah College was selected first in the poll with 93 points and five first-place votes while Drew University was second with 91 points and two first-place votes and the University of Scranton was third with 88 points and the final four first-place votes. The remainder of the poll included Susquehanna University, Widener University, Elizabethtown College, King’s College, Lycoming College, FDU-Florham, Moravian and Wilkes University.

Third-year head coach Kate Miller expects the Greyhounds to show the continued improvement that really showed through at the end of the season when Moravian kept several of its matches close throughout the entire contest.

Returning to lead Moravian on the field is senior midfielder Jess Cordani (Point Pleasant Boro, NJ/Point Pleasant Boro HS), who led the Greyhounds with 43 goals and four assists for 47 points to go along with four assists and 17 caused turnovers. Cordani also added 48 ground balls, and 30 draw controls a year ago.

Junior attack Lindsey Lustrino (Spring Lake, NJ/Manasquan HS) was second on the team in goals with 32 and had four assists for 36 points. Lustrino added 45 ground balls, 19 draw controls and 11 caused turnovers. In her debut season with the Hounds, sophomore midfielder Erica Spatz (Pennsauken, NJ/Pennsauken HS) was ranked in NCAA Division III statistics in draw controls with an average of 4.00 draw controls per match. She also added 21 goals and two assists for 23 points, and had 48 ground balls and 13 caused turnovers.

Also in her debut season, sophomore attack Robyn Klem (Allentown, PA/Allentown Central Catholic HS) contributed one goal and had 33 ground balls.

Senior defender Lauren Johnston (Huntingdon Valley, PA/Upper Moreland HS) contributed 42 ground balls, eight draw controls, and eight caused turnovers. Senior defender Kristen Schol (West Chester, PA/Henderson HS) added 22 ground balls and six caused turnovers while junior defender Jenna Abramson (Bangor, PA/Bangor HS) contributed 18 ground balls, 17 draw controls and nine caused turnovers last spring.

Junior defender Nicole Dodd (Hackettstown, NJ/West Morris Central HS) had 15 ground balls, three draw controls, and seven caused turnovers. Senior midfielder Kindel Estes (New Providence, NJ/New Providence HS) contributed 13 ground balls, two draw controls and five caused turnovers. Sophomore midfielder Mauri Dallago (Kutztown, PA/Kutztown HS) added nine ground balls, two draw controls and two caused turnovers, while sophomore midfielder Casey Simpson (Laporte, PA/Sullivan County HS) had six ground balls and one draw control and caused turnover. Sophomore attack Jessica Bodine (Moorestown, NJ/Moorestown HS) had two ground balls.

For the third straight season, coach Miller will need to find a starting goalie. Dallago and sophomore Laura Shantz (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty HS) will both see time in the cage for the Greyhounds.

Moravian will begin its 2006 season on Tuesday, March 14th in a non-conference contest at Swarthmore College beginning at 5:00 p.m.

2006 Middle Atlantic Conference Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Poll