Davidson Hosts Owls Sunday in 2015 Lax Season Opener

Sunday, February 15

Davidson, N.C.

1:00 p.m.

Davidson College Athletics

Kennesaw State

Photo by: Tim Cowie - DavidsonPhotos.com

Davidson Hosts Owls Sunday in 2015 Lax Season Opener

2/12/2015 10:48:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse

Gavin McFarlin - Assistant SID

2015 Record Book
Live Stats
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DavidsonPhotos.com

DAVIDSON, N.C. — Coming off a record-setting season, the Davidson women's lacrosse team starts its 2015 year off with a home game Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. against Kennesaw State in Richardson Stadium.

A new era begins for the Wildcats as they start their first season as an Atlantic 10 member. They were recently picked to finish sixth in the nine-team team league after previously playing the past two years in the Big South Conference. The 'Cats had an exellent two-year run in the Big South, reaching the tournament title game both season, while also taking home the program's first-ever regular season title in 2013.

Davidson set a new mark this past year by going 12-7 overall behind the strength of a school-best nine-game win streak. It returns 20 letterwinners, including seven starters.

In anticipation of the 2015 season, below is a look at the Season Preview....

Heading into their seventh season under head coach Kim Wayne, the 2015 Davidson lacrosse squad gears up for a new chapter in the program's history. The Wildcats will be making the move from the Big South Conference to the Atlantic 10.

The Wildcats, who won the inaugural Big South Regular Season title and reached the tournament championship game both years they were in the league, bring back a strong core from last year's squad that went 6-1 in league play and set the single-season school record with 12 wins. Included in those returning are five of Davidson's top-seven scorers led by former Big South Player of the Year and school-record holder Emily Cooke, who holds the assists mark with 105, and first-team all-league performers Emma Sissman and Emily Rademacher.

At the helm with Wayne will be the Wildcats' four captains: seniors Cooke, Rademacher, Mary Leonard and Katy Boyle.

What Are Some Key Factors For the Team's Success This Season?
Coach Wayne: "The key to our success will be making sure the underclassmen come into each game and act like upperclassmen. Every year we have freshmen and sophomores start for us, but getting them to believe that they are just as capable as any junior or senior at being the best is the hard part. We will continue to push, challenge and encourage our underclassmen but they need to believe in themselves as well.

What excited me this fall was seeing how much our sophomores grew from last year to this year. Confidence is huge when it comes to playing sports and they all came back with even more confidence than they left with. Kacey Merlini took on a new role this spring as a low defender and is excelling on every level. She is strong, vocal and fast and her teammates look up to her. Nicole Pettiglio, Morgan Burch and Arden Simone are capable of playing both ends evenly, which I love seeing from midfielders. Annie Brockett has proven herself as a starting attacker because she's not afraid to handle the ball and go hard to the cage. I see big things from this class."

Can You Talk About Joining the Atlantic 10 This Season?
Coach Wayne: "As excited as I am about joining the A-10, we know as a team that we have our work cut out for us. Every program in our conference is competitive, and only four teams make it to the conference tournament, which means every game matters. The Big South was great because we finally got to a point where we knew what to expect from each team.

Joining the A-10 brings a whole new perspective to our season. We will be going up against teams like Massachusetts, Richmond and Duquesne, which are all top programs, and teams we have never competed against. With all that said, the first half of our season is meant to prepare us for conference play. And based on the first few weeks of practice, I couldn't be happier with where we are right now. Everyone is working extremely hard and things are finally clicking for us."

2014 Quick Review
Last season, Davidson went a school-best 12-7 overall and 6-1 in the Big South. The 'Cats reached the league championship game for the second year in a row, before falling just short to High Point again, 11-6, in a bid to reach the program's first NCAA Tournament. On its way to its record 12 wins, Davidson rattled off a school-best nine-game win streak.

Katherine Rueger was named the Big South Freshman of the Year. The first-year player scored 18 goals and dishing out six assists for 24 points. In addition, Rueger was one of six 'Cats to earn All-Big South First or Second Team honors.

The 2014 season also saw coach Wayne become the program's all-time winningest coach, closing out the season with 52 career victories to surpass Mary Schwartz who had 46 in her eight-year tenure.

Senior Ann Fucigna wrapped up her storied Wildcat career with program bests in goals (192) and points (261), while ranking third all-time in assists with 69.

Emma Sissman tied a single-game record with eight goals in a road win at Presbyterian, while she broke the single-season mark for draw controls with 75. In addition, Sissman set the program record with 139 draws in just two seasons.

How Do You Replace Anna Fucigna, the Program's All-Time Goals and Points Record Holder Who Graduated Last Year?
Coach Wayne: "Ann was a great player for us and helped bring the program to where it is today. She helped us win games and winning games is how you bring in better recruits. During Ann's first two years she was one of the only players who wanted to score. At the time it was great because it was exactly what we needed. Her junior year and senior year were different since we had players around her who stepped up. She wasn't afraid to go to goal no matter who we were playing against. That's what we will miss most about Ann."

Senior Class
The senior class consists of six players this year. Leading the way are the four captains Cooke, Rademacher (two-time All-Big South First Team pick), Leonard (career-high 16 goals last year) and goalie Boyle (set school's single-season record in minutes with 1,136.40). Joining the quartet are midfielder Catherine Schmidt (played in 30 career games) and defender Sarah Duncan (24 career games played).

What Are You Looking For From The Senior Class As They Finish Out Their Wildcat Careers?
Coach Wayne: "Rademacher and Cooke have played in most, if not all of their collegiate games. They have helped turn our program around. They are also truly dedicated to making themselves better as well as their teammates better on a consistent basis.

Boyle had big shoes to fill once Jessica Melby graduated and I think she has done an exceptional job. She ended last season playing one of her best collegiate games against High Point. I expect her to carry the momentum into this season.

Both Catherine (Schmidt) and Sarah (Duncan) came into this year with a "nothing to lose" attitude and have added depth and experience to our already strong leadership.

I believe as a class the seniors approached this year with a different attitude than they have had in the past. Despite Mary (Leonard) missing her final spring season she will continue to help the team in her role as captain by coaching them and pushing them to be their best."

Offense- Midfielders & Attackers
The Wildcats return with a solid core of their offense after scoring 216 goals last year (11.37 a game). Leading the charge is the tandem of Sissman and Rademacher who combined for 82 goals and 92 points.

Sissman is one of the best scoring threats anywhere on the field. An All-Big South First Team pick, she netted a career-best 50 goals, which is third most in program history.

Midfielder Rademacher, an excellent two-way player, is coming off an outstanding junior season. She tallied career bests in goals (32), points (41), groundballs (27) and draw controls (68).

In addition, attacker Cooke and midfielder Pettiglio return after strong campaigns a year ago. Cooke dished out 42 assist, which ranked seventh in the nation, and finished third on the team with 50 points.

One of the Wildcats' top freshman last year, Pettiglio played in all 19 games. She finished with seven goals and five assists for 12 points.

Brockett and Lucy Sexton will also add some punch to the offense after totaling 10 goals together.

Defense
The Wildcat defense will look to replace senior captain Paige Logan, but returns a nice core of players led by senior Boyle. After having to replace three key defenders from 2013, Davidson did not miss a beat as it held opponents to an average of 9.21 goals a game.

Boyle was one of the top keepers in the Big South last year. Seeing extended playing time for the first time in her career, Boyle set the program's single-season record for minutes, while her 9.24 goals against average was second-best in the Big South and third in a Wildcat single season. She finished with 126 saves, good for 30th in the nation.

Maddy Sivilli, Holly Thomas, Veronica Fiorino, Kacey Merlini and Duncan all played big roles on defense as they saw extended game action for the first time. They combined to play in 59 games together, with Thomas (19), Sivilli (14) and Fiorino (five) starting 38 of the games. Thomas had personal bests across board with 22 groundballs, 16 draw controls and 11 caused turnovers. The junior Sivilli was just as good, recording 17 groundballs, eight draw controls and 12 caused turnovers, which was second-most on the team.

Backing Boyle between the pipes will be Dana Stasieluk, who got into one game as a freshman.

The 2015 Schedule
For the fourth time in the past five years, Davidson opens the season at home as it welcomes Kennesaw State, Feb. 15. It will be the 'Cats second time matching up against the Owls after hosting them in 2013 and winning 20-5. The 'Cats will be home for four of their first five games to start the 2015 season. They will also host Navy (Feb. 21), Saint Francis (Pa.) (March 7) and Bucknell (March 11), while playing at Old Dominion, March 1.

Other non-conference games include those at High Point and Elon, while the 'Cats will host Duke to finish out the month of March. The Blue Devils went 11-8 a year ago, reaching the NCAA quarterfinals and a final ranking of eighth in the nation.

Davidson begins its first year in the Atlantic 10 by opening its eight-game league season at home against George Washington, March 27. The two schools met last year in Washington, D.C., with the 'Cats coming up just short in an 8-7 non-conference contest.

The 'Cats will also host George Mason, Massachusetts and St. Bonaventure during the month of April. UMass went a perfect 7-0 in league play and finished 18-2 overall.

The Wildcats road A-10 games will have them traveling to Richmond, La Salle, Saint Joseph's and Duquesne. The Spiders, Explorers and Dukes each finished with 5-2 records in league play, while going a combined 36-17 overall.

Of the eight teams, Davidson has faced everyone but Massachusetts at least once during the program's 21-year history.

The Atlantic 10 Tournament will run May 1-3 at George Washington with the top four teams advancing. Last year saw the UMass capture its sixth consecutive A-10 Championship with a 10-6 win over Richmond.

Talk About the Schedule?
Coach Wayne: "Like always, we have packed our schedule with tough non-conference games to help prepare us for conference play. Both Duke and Navy (two top programs) are bigger and stronger than we are use to matching up against and have always given us a run for our money, however, we love playing them. One of the most memorable games every season has always been the Duke game. Despite the score we always (aside from last year) have come out and played to win! It's important that my team believes they can beat every team on our schedule or else I wouldn't keep them on it."

Are There Any Special Events Set on the Schedule?
Coach Wayne: "Two years ago on April 6th a close family member passed away from cervical cancer. Since then, I have made it a point to dedicate a game (as close to April 6th as possible) to helping prevent cervical cancer and bringing awareness to the overall cause. Last year we donated $602.00 to Stand up to Cancer and we are hoping to raise even more money AND awareness this year. The game we have chosen for this event is A10 foe George Mason. The game will be played at home on Friday, April 10th at 6:00 pm.