Photo By Abigail MacMillan, Editor-in-Chief
By Matt Guear
With all but one player returning from last year’s squad that reached the Landmark Conference playoffs for the second time in the past three years, the women’s lacrosse team will look to build on last year’s promising success.
“Any time a majority of your team and especially the starting group from the previous year is returning, you are looking at a very fortunate situation,” said head coach Randall Swope. “As a coach, you can keep the same systems in place that created your previous success and can continue to build on them.”
Goalie Emmy Regan, who earned Second Team All-Landmark honors in 2023, is the only player not returning from last season. That creates a vacancy in net for the River Hawks, which sophomore Aerin O’Brien will look to fill. Last season, O’Brien did get some playing time, sporting 52 saves in 313 minutes over 12 games. Her playing time is set to go up drastically this season.
“My message to (O’Brien) has been to be present, focus on her improvement, and to continue to gel with the defense,” said Swope. “I recruited her because of her differences to previous goalies, not to become goalies from the past.”
As for the goal scorers on the team, sophomore attacker Abby Andrus scored 28 goals in her first year on the squad and she will be looking to top that number this season. Andrus’ stellar rookie campaign earned her the Landmark Conference Rookie of the Year.
“Her talent allows me to run certain offense systems that we could not do if she weren’t with us, making our offense more versatile,” said Swope.
Senior midfielder Kelsey Homberg led the River Hawks with 39 goals and 54 total points. Homberg earned First Team All-Landmark for the second year in a row in 2023.
Right behind her in total points was junior attacker Liv Owen, who tallied 32 assists to get her to 53 total points.
The River Hawks will have to rely on Andrus, Homberg, and Owen if they want to capture the Landmark Conference title, a feat they haven’t accomplished since 2013.
On the defensive side, there’s senior Madi Mitchell. Swope moved Mitchell to be a full-time defender last season and it worked beautifully.
Mitchell caused 25 turnovers and captured 39 ground balls for the River Hawks last season, finishing second and third on the team respectfully. She scored twice, one of which was the game-winner against Elizabethtown.
Her stellar play was awarded with First Team All-Landmark honors, as well as being named to the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association All-Boardwalk Region second team.
“She will be matched up on every team’s top 1v1 attacker as she was last year,” said Swope. “This year, we will also utilize her speed more and involve her in transitioning the ball into the offense, creating man-up opportunities in doing so hopefully.”
Swope is expecting great things from her team this year and her message to them has stayed consistent throughout the offseason.
“We aren’t messing around,” said Swope. “We have positioned ourselves to be very successful this season, and that is the expectation.”
The River Hawks’ first game is at 11 a.m., Saturday at Sassafras Fields Complex against Alvernia.