Assistant Coach Josh Walker (left) with Head Coach Kelly Wall (right) on the sidelines of the team’s game.
By Kamiko Chamble
Plattsburgh’s women’s lacrosse team season is already off to a great start. It’s first game of the season was against Russell Sage College, with Plattsburgh taking home a win and the end 18-5 Feb. 27th.
This season, the Cardinals have a lot of new things to offer. First thing is that the team is more freshman/sophomore-based. Until Lilla Nease finishes the hockey season, the team will have two new goalies hold down the net: Hannah Lowder and Jess Loch.
“I’m really confident in them, they come ready to work every practice and it’s nice to see new faces and see how they’re excited for their next four years,” senior defenseman Samantha Lombardi said.
So far, each of the goalies have started in one of the team’s two opening games. Both played in each game.
“I have a lot of trust in them, they both came in with a lot of good experience and they’re really strong players and they help us out a lot. We have a young team this year, it’s also a very new team but every year we grow more and more so I’m excited to see where we take the program this year and see it grow more and more in the future with every class that comes in,” senior midfielder Janey Adams said.
Fiona Fitzgerald runs with a Russell Sage defender Feb. 27.
New faces on the team include attackers Abby Guasconi and Mckenzie Francis-Chubb, midfielders Isabella Girard and Anna Myers and defensemen Sloane Carr, Maddie Carros and Chase Calandra.
Plattsburgh also has a new assistant coach this season. His name is Josh Walker and he’s coming in with new and great energy. Walker comes to Plattsburgh after coaching at Mount Mansfield Union High School. Prior to his time there, Walker coached the UVM club team. He led the team to an undefeated season and a national championship in 2017.
“I like Coach Josh, he’s very positive at all times and he brings excitement to the team and practices and games in general,” Lombardi said.
Head Coach Kelly Wall entered her third year in the position this season. Last season she helped lead the team to a program best record of 7-8.
With Walker bolstering her coaching staff, the team is excited to improve.
One of Plattsburgh’s biggest goals this season is to make it to the postseason, which has not yet happened in the program’s short history.
“I’m hopeful, I’m hopeful every year that we’ll make playoffs and I think that we have a pretty decent chance this year. I think that everyone is coming to the season ready to work, so I hope that pans out into making playoffs this year,” Lombardi said.
Last year, Plattsburgh missed the playoffs by a hair when the team lost in overtime to Oneonta April 19.
“I feel like we have a chance, we’ve been inching more and more towards the playoffs since my freshman year when the team was still new and I think we’re pretty well established at this point so we definitely have more of a shot this year,” junior midfielder Rachel LaMar said.
The team has set the goal to take wins against Potsdam and Oneonta, Adams said.
The team will face Oneonta as the away team April 17. Plattsburgh will make its trip to Potsdam for the final match of the season April 24.
“As a team our goals are to progress. We’ve been doing a lot the last four years and have just been getting better and better so that’s what I would like to do this year,” Lombardi said.
Maddy Garcia (front) and Fiona Fitzgerald (back) hug.
The team has six attackers on the roster this year: first years Abby Guasconi and Mckenzie Francis-Chubb, sophomores Cynthia Barnosky and Erica Dickinson, junior Maddy Garcia and senior Fiona Fitzgerald.
Plattsburgh will have seven players playing the midfield: first years Isabella Girard and Anna Myers, sophomores Taya Balfour and Ava Parsons, juniors Nicole Resnick and Caitlin Nash and Rachel LaMar.
The Cards have six defensemen rostered: first years Chase Calandra, Maddie Carros and Sloane Carr; sophomore Lillian Gilroy and seniors Janey Adams and Sam Lombardi.
The Cardinals will have three players guarding the net: first years Chase Calandra, Hannah Lowder and grad student Lilla Nease.
Adams, Lombardi and LamMar will be acting as captains for the team.
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