Suffolk University lacrosse looks to build on a solid inaugural season this spring as they take on a changed schedule from their opening campaign with new faces and a couple of notable departures.
The team’s first season saw them start off strong, with wins in the program’s first two games. The team struggled to maintain the momentum down the stretch, ending the season in seventh place in the Conference of New England, one win away from the playoffs at 3-6 in conference play and 7-10 overall. The team’s goal this year: making it to the postseason.
“We were one win away from making the playoffs, so our goal this year is to see postseason play and I think that this team can definitely accomplish that,” said head coach Carolynn Keal.
To do this, the team will have to take on a very different schedule from the past season, especially for non-conference play. The only returning opponents outside of the CNE are Fitchburg State University and UMass Boston, the latter of which Keal described as a “cross-town rivalry” with another new program.
The team will take on Maine’s Husson University and Western Massachusetts’ Mount Holyoke College before going on the team’s second spring break trip, going to Texas to take on Southwestern University and Ohio Northern University. As Keal described, the team is looking forward to the trip.
“We announced it to the team in the fall and it has been the light at the end of the snowy tunnels that we’ve been dealing with, so they’re really excited for that,” said Keal.
Similar to the schedule, the team’s roster changed significantly over the offseason as well. While there weren’t any graduating players last season, there were still a couple of departures. Last year’s breakout star and CNE Rookie of the Year Ally Colburn transferred out of Suffolk, and contributing sophomore midfielder Eliza Bryant opted not to return to the team this season.
In place of them, the team brought in eight new players in their second recruiting class, with three junior transfers and five true freshmen being brought in to complement the 12 players returning from last season. One player to watch in particular is junior defender Penelope Lawlor, who transferred to Suffolk from fellow Division III school Springfield College.
“She’s going to do great things on defense,” said Keal.
Overall, the team is ready to use their experience gained from last year to help them. As Keal noted, most of the team last year didn’t have any collegiate lacrosse experience before the season. An advantage in that respect is that not only did nobody graduate from the team last year, but there is only one player, defender and captain Emily Briand, graduating this year. At the very least, there will be stability, something that’s useful for any team.
Going into the season, Keal said that the team’s slogan will be “adapt, overcome and repeat,” reflective of their status as a new program.
“Being a new program, we are hit with new experiences every single day, and our girls do a really good job of approaching those situations, adapting and then overcoming whatever obstacle we have,” said Keal.
The lacrosse season will kick off Feb. 25 on the road at Fitchburg State, before a daytime home opener versus Husson March 1.
