Feb. 12, 2008
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“The momentum coming from last season is tremendous. Our team returns 22 players who had a taste of postseason play, and this team will not be content unless they surpass last year’s accomplishments. They are a driven group who are highly motivated to succeed.” — VU Head Coach Cathy Swezey
The 2008 Vanderbilt women’s lacrosse team is riding high following a season that saw the Commodores return to the NCAA Tournament while playing host to a postseason contest for the first time in school history.
Head Coach Cathy Swezey’s 11th Commodore team is built around a time-tested, successful model: excellent leadership, outstanding depth and a number of unstoppable playmakers.
“We have an amazing group of seniors leading this team,” Swezey said. “The majority of them have started for three years. As an experienced group, they have to dictate what this team’s expectations are to the underclassmen, and then explain how to achieve those expectations. This is their team to lead and they should take ownership of it. Four years go by quickly, and I think they really want to end their careers on a high note.”
Seven members make up the Commodores’ senior class — the most for Swezey since VU’s 2004 run to the NCAA Final Four. The group is led by a pair of All-Americans — midfielders Margie Curran and Sasha Cielak.
“Margie and Sasha are two of the most accomplished players we have had in this program,” Swezey said. “Margie is a very exciting player to watch. Her stick skills and moves are second to none. She also makes an enormous impact in the midfield as she leads the team in draw controls.
“Sasha is a relentless defender,” Swezey continued. “She makes the biggest plays when they are most-needed and knows how to change the pace of a game in our favor. They have set the tone for the kind of players we hope to attract to this program.”
The Commodores return 60 percent of their offensive output from a season ago, led by Curran. She paced the Commodores in goals (50) and points (64) a season ago, and already ranks in Vanderbilt’s Career Top Five in both categories.
A New Jersey native, Curran prepped at Coach Swezey’s alma mater, Moorestown High School. The Quakers also produced VU junior Cara Giordano — who capped her prep career at Moorestown by winning the school’s sixth straight state championship. Giordano enters the 2008 season as Vanderbilt’s second-leading returnee on offense. She ranked third in goals (26) and fourth (28) in points a season ago.
“We expect Cara Giordano from the midfield and [sophomore] Sarah Downing on attack to help fill up our scoring columns,” Swezey said. “They were fourth and fifth in scoring on our team, respectively, and now have additional experience under their belts.
“Cara is a true midfielder who excels on both ends of the field,” Swezey said. “Her speed during transition is outstanding. She has great quickness on offense that allows her to get open and to finish. She possesses strong stick skills and good footwork.”
In all, six of the Commodores’ Top 10 scorers from last year return. Downing led all freshmen in scoring last season, contributing 26 points while making five starts. Senior Ashley Paschall and sophomores Anastasia Adam and Allie Frank also padded VU’s offensive stats.
“We are excited about how our offense looked in the fall season,” Swezey said. “We have a number of people capable of stepping up as starters and know we can rely on our depth as well.”
On the defensive side of the ball, Cielak is the unquestioned leader. As a junior, she led the Commodores in both caused turnovers and ground balls. The trio of Cielak and fellow seniors Heather Koutrakos and Michele Slotke has started a total of 118 games in the Commodore defense.
“Our defense is loaded with experience, as three of the four line defenders return,” Swezey said. “All-American Sasha Cielak is our top matchup defender with huge takeaway ability. Michele Slotke and Heather Koutrakos share some of those same assets. They are tremendous team defenders, never seem to miss a defensive slide, and know where to position themselves to help. All three are great leaders and will be the core of our seven-person unit. We are also very excited about the anticipation skills of Merissa Eide. And sophomore Alex Mundy will have the opportunity to showcase her outstanding athleticism.
“Ashley Paschall stands out in our midfield, especially on the defensive side of the ball,” Swezey added. “She has great quickness defensively, and is very aggressive. Another senior, Leslie Koch, will also be returning in the midfield and is strong one-v-one defensively. We are also very excited about some of the youth we have in the midfield and see them contributing early.”
Senior goalkeeper Brooke Shinaberry has started every game of the past two seasons after redshirting in 2005. This past summer, Shinaberry was named to the United States Women’s Developmental Team — a program designed to help a player gain greater exposure to international competition.
“We were very excited when Brooke made the U.S. Developmental Squad,” Swezey said. “She worked tirelessly this summer to achieve that goal. We look forward to seeing her improved confidence level make her even more successful this year. I believe that she will serve as a great leader for our team.”
Swezey’s Commodores have never shied away from tough competition — as evidenced by their alliance with the other national powerhouses that make up the American Lacrosse Conference. This season promises another exciting schedule.
“We are excited to play one of the most competitive schedules in the country again this spring. Our conference schedule alone accounts for four Top 20 teams. This year we’ll play nine games before opening ALC play against Penn State. It will help prepare us for the conference portion of our schedule.”
In addition to league foes Northwestern, Johns Hopkins, Penn State and Ohio State, Swezey has set up a diverse non-conference schedule that includes ACC powerhouses UNC and Duke, top teams like Notre Dame and Cornell, and even a first-year program in Cincinnati. Still, the Commodores’ goal is to be peaking come May in time for the second-annual ALC Tournament, hosted this year in Evanston, Ill.
“The inaugural ALC Tournament was a huge success last spring,” Swezey noted. “The atmosphere was exciting as all of the teams were true postseason contenders. It was a great way to prepare for NCAA Tournament play and the excitement surrounding the event attracted quite a few fans. We are excited to see this event continue and hope to win the automatic bid in 2008.”