Today’s Game: Cabrini (0-0) at #2 Franklin & Marshall (0-0)

Opening Draw: 4:30 p.m. at F&M’s North Campus Athletic Field

On the Air: Watch Live on B2

Live Stats: Click Here

You Can go Home Again: Today’s game marks the start of the Lauren Paul ’03 era. She was hired this past summer to replace Anne Phillips ’81, Paul’s former coach. Paul graduated fifth on F&M’s career points list, and is currently sixth in total points.

A Warm Welcome: With four points today, Jen Pritchard will pass her new coach on the career points list. Pritchard currently has 239 points (200 goals, 39 assists), while Paul is sitting on 242. Don’t look for the new mentor to bench her pupil – Pritchard is one of three Division III players on the Tewaarton Trophy watch list.

Thanks For Helping Out: Shannon Summers is six assists away from taking over fifth place in career assists at F&M. She currently has 85. Only two Diplomats have ever reached 100 assists – Lauren Paul (103) and Alexis O’Meara (107).

Your Help is Also Appreciated: Blake Hargest and Sarah Meisenberg may join Coach Paul and O’Meara in the 100 Assist Club. Hargest, a junior, enters the season with 81 helpers, while Meisenberg, a senior, is sitting on 73 career assists.

Quite a Record: Franklin & Marshall’s seniors open their final campaign with a record of 55-7 in their years at F&M. Their worst record F&M produced was during their freshman season, a mark of 15-5. Since then, F&M is 40-2 with National Championship and Second Place trophies.

Quite a Record, Part II: Franklin & Marshall has posted a winning record in each of its past eight seasons. F&M has only endured four losing seasons

All-Americans: Franklin & Marshall opens the season with four All-Americans on the roster, each with multiple All-American honors. Pritchard has been named an All-American in each of her three seasons completed. Meisenberg and Ashley Bevington were both selected as All-Americans in each of the past two seasons, while Shannon Summers was named an All-American for the first time in 2008 but multiple organizations. Keeper, Lidia Sanza, was named an All-America after stopping enough shots to win the NCAA Championship in 2007.

Gator Aid: Franklin & Marshall’s roster features three players from the St. Paul’s School for Girls in Timonium, Md. Lidia Sanza, Blake Hargest, and Laura Ruppersberger all represent the Gators on F&M’s roster. Allison Solomon is a graduate of Academy of the Holy Cross. She welcomes a freshman from her alma mater in midfielder, Katie Delaney. Ashley Bevington, from The Hill School, welcomes Casey Downie, a first-year from her alma mater.

Welcome Back, Welcome Back, Welcome Back: Ashley Bevington and Amanda Miceli return to the Diplomats lineup today. Miceli was out for the duration last year with an injury suffered during basketball season, while Bevington missed the postseason run with an injury.

On the Cavs…

The Cabrini women’s lacrosse team has been picked as the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) preseason favorite for the 2009 season. The Cavaliers received seven of the eight possible first-place votes by the CSAC coaches for a total of 63 points, finishing ahead of Gwynedd-Mercy College (52).

The Cavaliers completed a perfect 10-0 regular season, but suffered a 13-8 loss to rival Eastern University in the conference championship game. Cabrini advanced to the ECAC Championship and defeated Kean University in the first round before losing to the eventual champion Stevens Institute of Technology in the second round. 

Cabrini is returning four of its five leading scorers from the 2008 season, including Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) All-Metro Region Second Team selection Erin Nollen. Nollen, also named the CSAC Player of the Year and a first-team honoree, led the team with 82 points on 67 goals and 15 assists. 

Nollen was joined on the CSAC First Team by senior defender Christina Romano and junior goalkeeper Kate Schmid. Romano recorded 10 points on seven goals and three assists. Schmid started 16-of-17 games last season and totaled a 10.92 goals-against average.
Senior defender Chrissy Regan and junior attack Amanda Alexandrowicz both earned second-team honors. Alexandrowicz netted 50 goals and registered 6 assists, while Regan collected 33 groundballs and tallied 29 caused turnovers.