2017 Season Preview: New-Look Big Green Set for Next Chapter

2/8/2017 3:15:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse

By: Dartmouth

HANOVER, N.H. – It's February and despite the cold temperatures outside, the Dartmouth women's lacrosse team is putting in the work so that they can play in warmer, sunnier weather in May.

There is a new look to the Big Green in 2017 as first-year head coach Danielle Spencer takes over the program, becoming just the fourth coach in the team's 45-year history.

Spencer and her new staff of Nicole Price and Mike Wilus now have the task of returning Dartmouth back to the top of the standings for another Ivy League title and a shot at the conference's tournament championship.

ATTACK

The front line of the Dartmouth offense comes from the group of eight true attackers. The area that features perhaps the most wide open battle for playing time through competition may also be the position that features the most depth. That comes from a group of players who can all contribute regardless of if they are starting or coming into the game off the bench.

“We have a competitive group of attackers,” Spencer said. “They are pushing one another and challenging our defense every day. We expect to see contributions from many players and not rely on just a few.”

Courtney Weisse, Kelly Dolan, Elizabeth Jacobs, Campbell Brewer, Kierra Sweeney, Cara DePippo and Kellen D'Alleva are the returning veterans, while Polly Carter and Sarah Ross are the newcomers in the group.

MIDFIELD

Taryn Deck and Elizabeth Mastrio are two of the top-three returning scorers from a season ago with 34 and 20 points, respectively. Their roles are more fluid under Spencer and her staff as both could also see time on the attack this season. Deck scored 24 goals last year and led the team with 10 assists, while Mastrio was second on the team in draw controls (39) and was the top rookie.

The largest of any position on the 2017 roster, Dartmouth has 14 players listed as midfielders on the eve of the season. However, the size does not mean that the midfield is top-heavy with upperclassmen. Deck and Lauren Maiorano are the lone seniors, while Larson Bennett, Sophie Davidson and Katie O'Neill are the juniors in this mix.

Sophomores Kristen Maiorano, Kathryn Giroux, Isabel Taben and Mastrio, and freshmen Tori Chanenchuk, Sophia Turchetta, Natalee Palmer, Katie Bourque and Ellie Carson make up a large young group of midfielders.

Giroux played all 15 games last season and was fifth on the team in scoring (11) and fourth in draw controls (17).

“We are excited about the energy and depth that our young players bring to the midfield. We expect to see many freshman make an impact right away.”

DEFENSE

A veteran group, the Big Green's back end will be anchored by seniors Blake Hamblett and Kristen Hinckley with Lauren Maiorano dropping back from time to time. The experience from those three players should help to relieve pressure on the team's young goalkeepers behind them, while also serving as examples for the underclassmen at the position.

“We've seen a lot of players leading by example already in how they go about practicing and competing,” the new bench boss commented. “There is a high compete level every day on the field that has been making us better prepared to see other teams' looks.”

Junior Ellie Bennett is the other upperclassman on defense and will continue to play alongside sophomores Lindsay Frumer, Lauren D'Amico and freshman Kate White.

GOALKEEPERS

A two-horse race for playing time, sophomore Charlotte Wahle and freshman Kiera Vrindten are the Big Green's two goalkeepers on the roster.

Wahle played every minute in goal as a rookie in 2016, posting a 7-8 record to go along with a 10.67 goals against average and a .375 save percentage. The only true keeper on the team's roster a season ago, Wahle is now going to be pushed by the Summitt, New Jersey, native, Vrindten.

“This is another area where competition is bringing out the best in both Charlotte and Kiera,” Spencer said. “They are pushing one another to be better in practice and those battles will make them better goalkeepers when it's their time to be called on to step into the circle for us.”

SCHEDULE

Four of the first five games this season will see the Big Green play away from Hanover and the familiar confines of Scully-Fahey Field. Dartmouth opens the home slate versus Binghamton on Saturday, Feb. 25, the first of eight games in the Upper Valley in 2017. The home Ivy League slate again features contests against Princeton (March 25), Harvard (April 1), Cornell (April 15) and Brown (April 29).

In addition to Binghamton, the Green will also play host to Southern California (March 17), Boston College (April 12) and Albany (April 19). The Trojans and Eagles both played in the NCAA Tournament last year and are two of the five opponents this season who made the national postseason in 2016.

PRESEASON

“It's been fast paced and high energy all preseason starting in the fall,” Spencer said. “We will be a team that looks to push the ball in transition and be a faster team than people are used to. Part of that is because of the style I like and want this team to play with and another part is the new shot clock.”

Spencer is referencing the fact that the NCAA has implemented a new 90-second shot clock for the women's game in 2017. That smaller window in which teams can possess without shooting should lead to more attempts on goal and more scoring, while cutting back down on the perimeter passing plays that led to the rule change.

“Draw controls have been and will continue to be the focus for us,” Spencer added. “Getting possession is key and the draw is an area where we can emphasize that.

“We will generate quality shots off the draw and out of transition, as opposed to solely through scripted offensive sets. Defensively you will see a patient and disciplined unit in our ride and settled defense, that will help us create more scoring opportunities.”

EXPECTATIONS

This is going to be a year different than in the past where one or two players were the cornerstones for the team's offensive output. The 2017 season will feature a more spread-out attack with goals and assists coming from several players, rather than just one or two.

There is a high level of internal competition this season. Playing time at every position is up for grabs with players pushing one another to get better every day in practice. With that high-level of preparation, many members of this year's team will see the field this spring.