At Georgetown, lacrosse doesn’t rebuild. It reloads.
With the loss of seven seniors – all starters – and the addition of nine promising freshmen, that should be the mantra for the GU women’s lacrosse team as they embark upon a brand new season, a season that they will start as the 10th best team in America.
Among the nine new Hoyas are eight recruited athletes and one walk-on. The class is made up of three attackers, five midfielders and a defender.
Though lacrosse is normally dominated by players from Maryland and Long Island, Georgetown’s class of 2009 is surprisingly balanced geographically along the east coast. New Jersey, Maryland and Pennsylvania are each called home by two women, with the remaining three hailing from New Hampshire, Connecticut and New York.
This recruiting class is strongest in midfield, and leading the way is high school all-American Bridget Noon. A graduate of aryland’s St. Mary’s High, Noon comes to Georgetown on the coattails of a 30-goals, 25-assist season and as one of the nation’s most highly sought recruits.
“She is an athletic, intelligent midfielder, who plays well at both ends of the field,” Fried said. “She is an offensive threat that can still mark out her opponent on the defensive end.”
While Noon represents a more offensively focused mid, Jordan Trautman brings a defensive prowess to the midfield position. One of two all-Americans from Connecticut’s Loomis Chafee School, Trautman began her high school career at Western Reserve High in Ohio before repeating her junior year and finishing high school at Loomis. After developing her offense and increasing her confidence during fall practices, she should be able to parlay her newfound offense and her already-strong defense into quality minutes this spring.
Standing at six-foot, New Jersey’s Courtney Hubschman brings a physical presence to the midfield position. Still, despite her height, she is an athletic midfielder with a good feel for the game at both ends of the field.
“She is developing her fitness so she can get up and down the field and do well between the thirties,” Fried said. “She is a smart, competitive middie who should get some playing time this fall. Right now she is on one of the top two midfields.”
If Hubschman shows what a midfielder can do with size, Megan Bloomer of Paoli, Pa., shows what you can do without it. Small and scrappy, Bloomer possesses an adeptness between the lines and an ability to pounce on groundballs, according to Fried. Also an all-American, Bloomer is purported to be a bit better on the offensive end and someone who, with improved defense, will eventually see time for Georgetown.
Aided by her quiet confidence, Maryland’s Kate Burton rounds out the class of 2009’s midfielders. Athletic and intelligent, “Burton is one of those kids who you’re not quite sure if she gets it, then she plays and you see she does,” Fried said. “She is working hard on the offensive end to contribute down there. She is very skilled, and a pretty polished player who just needs some time to adjust to the college game.”
Leading the incoming attackers is Bunny O’Reilly. A native of Blue Bell, Pa., O’Reilly graduated from Springide High School, where she was named a U.S. Lacrosse all-American. One of the fastest girls on the team, O’Reilly is touted by Head Coach Ricky Fried as someone who, “brings a lot of athleticism, a quick first steam and distributes the ball really well.”
“She probably needs to learn how to take the ball to the goal herself a little bit more, but she should play an impact role on the team this year,” Fried said.
Ashley Lopez, another freshman attacker, comes to Georgetown from North Shore High School in Roslyn Harbor, N.Y. Despite her slight build, Fried lauds her as a player with a good first step, strong skills and high energy. Though Lopez does not figure prominently in Georgetown’s plans for 2006, she could be a key contributor down the line.
Like Lopez, the third attacker, Anna McKenzie may not play many minutes this year, but she should prove valuable in the team’s preparation and in future seasons. The lone walk-on, cKenzie is one of two New Hampshire natives to suit up for the Hoyas. Fried points to her athleticism and hard work as reasons why, once she adjusts to the nuances of the college game, the Hoyas will look to involve her in their offense.
Finally, Margot Ellis, sister of junior defender Megan, is an all-American defender from West Essex, N.J.
“Margot is high energy, high enthusiasm,” Fried said, “and is learning to control her enthusiasm at times, realizing that she needs to slow down to get things. She is all over ground balls, positive and working hard at both ends.”
The freshmen may not make or break this season – after all, the Hoyas have vital cogs like junior attacker Coco Stanwick, junior defender Chloe Asselin and junior goalie Maggie Koch back – but these nine freshmen very well could be the difference between a good team and a great one. Comprised of both offensively and defensively oriented players, the class of 2009 should be a balanced one.
Seven seniors left. Nine freshmen arrived.
It isn’t rebuilding, it’s simply reloading.
