2008 Season Outlook

WILLIAMSTOWN, MA – Create, Read and React.

It’s not the slogan of the 2008 Williams College women’s lacrosse team. Yet.

Ephs head coach Chris Mason, back for her 23rd year, is looking for her squad to rebound from a 6-8 record in 2007 by using their creativity, intelligence and instincts.

Talent? There is plenty of that to go around as well.

The team will be led by senior captains Lauren Kennedy and Sara duPont, who have help in classmates Sarah Adkins and Allison Murray. That foursome gives the Ephs strength an experience from the defensive end through the midfield to attack.

Missing will be three-time All-American Kaylan Tildsley, who graduated after the ’07 season.

“This team has no superstars,” Mason said. “But it has a lot of talent and that talent is spread out. They all work well together and are a very hard-working group.”

Keeping duPont on the field will be one of the keys to the Ephs’ season. The oft-injured midfielder has the skills to play anywhere on the field. She was limited to 15 points (10 goals, 5 assists) last season.

“She is key everywhere,” Mason said. “On the defensive end, on the offensive end and in the midfield. She has very good stick skills, very good awareness.”

Another key player will be junior midfielder Britt Spackman, who led Williams with 33 goals in ’07 and was second on the team behind Tildsley with 49 points. Both duPont and Spackman will be defensive midfielders, so they will be counted on to bolster the defense.

The Ephs allowed 172 goals last season (14.4 per game), but this season have veterans in three spots thanks to the return of the aforementioned Kennedy, sophomore Quinn Bruggemann and junior Liz Burns.

Britt Spackman '09

Once again the goaltending position is tenuous. Last year, first-year senior Abby Taylor came out and did a respectable job before graduating. With the loss of back-up Hannah Cunningham, the job falls to first-year Julia Schreiber.

That’s the unsettling news. The good news is Schreiber is quite talented and Mason expects great things from her this season.

“She is very good and has played well in our two scrimmages so far,” Mason said. “She reads things very well, has quick reflexes and is very aggressive. We still have a couple of things were working with her on, but she’s going to be a very solid player.”

Joining Spackman and duPont in the midfield will be sophomore Alice Nelson and first-year Anne Marie Burke, two speedsters Mason hopes can ignite the Ephs’ attack. Junior Julia Nawrocki will also see plenty of time there, and may be one of the midfielders who are counted on defensively.

Last season, the Ephs scored 155 goals. They lost 51 percent of those to players who did not return for various reasons. But Mason is confident the Ephs’ 2008 attack can equal or better that total.

Sophomores Tina Nawrocki, Whitney Kelley, Whitney Thayer and Tracey Ferriter are expected to play a big part. Adkins, who was third on team in points (32) and was tops in assists with 27, is the ringleader, distributing the ball to every scorer. Murray will bolster the attack when she returns from a preseason illness, and first-year Allison Page is another candidate to score.

“We have a lot of people who can contribute on offense,” Mason said. “Whitney Kelly and Whitney Thayer have been playing very well, and Tracey Ferriter and Allion Page are both good shooters.”

Lauren Kennedy '08

The Ephs also have several newcomers beside first-year Burke, Page and Lindsay Davies. Sophomores Katie Stephens (cross country) and Amy Siedlecki (field hockey) will add depth. As will senior Stephanie Tsiung. All could play anywhere on the field.

Murray and junior Amina Pookrum will need to overcome early-season injuries, but Mason expects both to be able to contribute sooner rather than later. With all that talent, the coach is looking for a little more patience and the aforementioned creativity.

“Last year we turned the ball over too much, we really need to reduce the amount of unforced errors,” Mason said. “They have been looking better so far. We have to have more patience offensively and try to maintain possession through the midfield. We want them to be more creative, but instead of trying to force creativity, to read and react better.”

Williams will have to improve in order to compete in conference, with seven NESCAC teams being ranked in the top 20 nationally by IWLCA. The Ephs open their season March 13th at MIT before playing Tufts at home Saturday the 15th at 11 a.m.