Guilford's
women's lacrosse team bids for a spot among the top teams in the Old Dominion Athletic
Conference (ODAC) in 1999 thanks to a strong cast of returning veterans. Fourteen letter
winners, including 10 starters, are back from last season's 6-9 team, which reached the
ODAC quarterfinals for the sixth straight year. Coach Ken Glardon opens his fourth
season minus only three regulars from the 1997 squad and returns a pair of all-conference
performers and all of the team's top scorers.
A position that formerly was Guilford's primary weakness figures to be its strength in 1999. Senior Tina Schroeter and sophomore Jess Phillips received second team All-ODAC laurels for their 1998 play. Schroeter is coming off the finest season of her career in which she scored a career-high 30 points (28 goals) and led the Quakers with a 68 ground balls. She tallied most of her goals while subbing on the attack, but figures to spend more time in the back in 1999 where she has established herself as one of the top marking players in the conference.
Phillips is another of the league's top defenders after just one season of college experience. Selected Guilford's Best Team Player by her teammates as a freshman, she was the rookie all-league selection in school history. Her combination of great skills and perhaps the best work ethic on the team make a top player.
Sophomore Abbey Weiner started all 15 games in her initial season and is a stronger player as a result of the experience.
Senior Becki Davis, a three-year starter on defense, will work out in goal this offseason to challenge senior keeper Lauren Gill. Davis has limited game experience, but owns strong anticipation skills which make her a candidate to contend with Gill and add depth to the position. Gill, a three-year starter, set Guilford's single-game saves record and ranks among the school's career leaders in saves, saves percentage and goals against average.
The midfield showed flashes of success a year ago and must continue to improve in 1999. Some of the team's best athletes troll the midfield, including senior center Luisella Perri and attack wing Carmen Eckman. Fellow seniors Nel Andrews and Dana Mendoza, Guilford's Most Improved Player in 1998, provide a solid group to build around in the middle of the field. Some of the team's newcomers must make an immediate impact to shore up Guilford's transition offense and defense.
Junior Jenn Jankowski led Guilford's scorers in 1998, but she'll be looking for another scoring partner in the absence of Forrest Chapin. Jankowski’s shot ranks among the hardest in the conference and makes her a goal-scoring threat. Sophomore Kate Allen contributed 15 tallies in her rookie season and will be asked to increase that total in 1999. Glardon expects support from new players up front as well, including freshman Keli Donnelly of Lafayette Hill, PA.
The improving Quakers have the talent to compete with most of the teams in the conference and other regional squads. A strong defense will keep the opposition off the board, but the team must distribute the scoring responsibilities among more players to outscore it. Gill and Davis must also provide a solid effort to keep the Quakers in the game.
