Feb. 19, 2010

PHILADELPHIA - The Saint Joseph's women's lacrosse team looks to return to the Atlantic 10 Championship in 2010, and with a wealth of experience and a strong recruiting class, the Hawks have the potential to achieve their goal of their first A-10 title.

Although the Hawks lost some potent offense and a few key defenders, 2009 A-10 Coach of the Year, Denise Roessler, enters her 12th year optimistic about the 2010 season.

The Hawks return leading scorer Jenna Martino who accounted for nearly 40 percent of the 2009 offense and two defensive captains, senior Rae Wojnar and junior Christine Readinger.

Martino, a 2009 All-Tournament Team Selection and two-time Atlantic 10 First Team Selection, looks to beat last season's totals, in which she broke the single-season record in goals (57) to place her second on the charts for all-time career goals (133). Martino also had a team-best 19 assists and looks to be a serious contender for 2010 A-10 Player of the Year.

Her offense is backed by a trio of relentless sophomores, Meghan McDevitt, Jen Peters, and Julie Mineweaser, which along with Martino, accounted for 85 percent of the scoring in 2009.

At attack McDevitt, an A-10 All-Rookie Team selection, was third on the team in goals (32) and tallied six assists while Peters scored 23 goals and had nine assists.

Mineweaser, another A-10 All-Rookie Team selection, will lead the midfield as she dished 10 assists while adding 16 goals to the SJU offense last season.

Sophomore midfielders Grace Dinn (9 goals, 3 assists) and Alli MacDonald (2 goals, 3 assists) look to be big contributors on the offensive end this season, while junior Francesca Volpe and sophomore Elizabeth Fox will shore up the midfield line.

Wojnar and Readinger, a 2008 A-10 All-Rookie Selection, will be the foundation of the defense bringing leadership and experience to the back line. The duo are SJU's most aggressive defenders who combined to cause 46 turnovers last season at 23 apiece and picked up a combined 59 ground balls.

Sophomore Kelley Pendergast along with freshmen Heather Olson and Jess Phelan will add depth to the defense while Alisha Aquilino, Honorable Mention All-American, will take over goalkeeping duties for the Hawks in net. Senior captain and goalkeeper Kaitlin LaBarbera suffered an injury prior to the season but looks to make a strong recovery and see time in the cage.

SJU newcomer's freshmen Leana Brewer, Taylor Mallory, Alexa Matthews, and Nora Mcguire are expected to make an impact in the Hawks' attack, while freshman Gwen Nihill and sophomore Meghan Mitchell will conjure up the midfield. Nihill was named an All-American as a high school senior while Brewer earned Honorable Mention All-American and a spot on the Academic All-America team.

The Hawks open the 2010 season as they travel to Lafayette on February 20. After facing city rival, Drexel, SJU takes on Wagner in its home opener on February 27.

March opens the door to tough non-conference contenders such as Lehigh and Monmouth (NEC semifinalist), and the Hawks go up against 2009 NCAA semifinalist Penn and Old Dominion (CAA semifinalist) right before conference play.

SJU opens Atlantic 10 play on March 26 at home against Duquesne before taking on 2009 Atlantic 10 tournament opponents, Richmond and Massachusetts. The squad wraps up conference play at Temple.

Although young, the Hawks are athletic and with their leading scorer returning, a strong defense, and valuable A-10 tournament experience last season, Saint Joseph's has the potential to get back to the A-10 finals and have a shot at winning their first conference championship.