By Abby Geisel, Sports Information Assistant
 
The Saint Vincent women's lacrosse team is eager to get back on the field after suffering their final loss of a record-breaking season in 2013. The Bearcats fell to Thiel College, 15-13, in the inaugural Presidents' Athletic Conference Championship. The league will begin sponsoring men's and women's lacrosse during the 2014-15 academic year. 
 
The Bearcats finished out the 2013 campaign with an 11-5 record, in a season where many individual and team records were set. The team will look to replace their top four point scorers, Nora Posival, Alyssa Lang, Hannah Hackman, and Megan Fisher, who combined for 269 total points. Head Coach Jym Walters recognizes this key loss but said, "Our expectation and goal are the same…win the PAC. We've been working as a team to replace the scoring of Posival's 106 points and Lang's 75 points during the 2013 season."
 
Posival was a key player in the Bearcat offensive scheme. She played in all 16 games of the 2013 season and cemented her place in the Bearcat record books with incredible statistics. Posival owns the records for points in a game (18), points in a season (106), assists in a season (78), assists in a career (102), and assists in a game (16, an NCAA Division III record). She also ranks second in points in a career (189).
 
Walters also cited the key loss of senior Alyssa Lang. Like Posival, Lang was instrumental in the Bearcats' offensive success. She contributed 63 goals and 12 assists on the season and also holds a number of Bearcat records. She is the leader in goals in a game (9) and goals in a season (63). Lang ranks third in goals in a career (108) and points in a game (10). She ranks second in points in a season (75) and fourth in points in a career (136).  
 
Two other key senior players on offense were Hannah Hackman and Megan Fisher. Hackman contributed 32 goals and 21 assists, while Fisher tallied 31 goals and 4 assists. Hackman was also strong in the waning moments of games for the Bearcats, notching 2 game-winning goals. In the record books, Hackman ranked third in assists in a season (21), and fourth in assists in a career (35), while Fisher ranked fifth in goals in a career (96), and sixth in points in a career (113).
 
Defensively, the Bearcats will look to fill the spots of graduated defenders, Kerry Tittinger and Jess Drury. Tittinger was fourth on the team in total caused turnovers with 10.
 
The Bearcats will return a number of upperclassmen that are poised and excited to fill the large holes created on the offensive side of the ball. Perhaps most crucial to the success of the offense in the upcoming season are senior Kaley Burkardt and junior Molly Snyder. Burkardt ranked sixth in total number of points (30) with 17 goals and 13 assists. She was also key in free-position situations where she led the team with five goals. Snyder ranked fourth in total points for the 2013 season (32) with 28 goals and four assists. Her 28 goals were the third highest on the team, placing her only behind Lang and Hackman. She also picked up 38 ground balls on the season (third on the team). Along with Burkardt and Snyder, Walters also looks to several other players to fill the gaps on offense, "Some key attack players who are returning and ready to fill those spots are senior Kaley Burkardt and juniors Molly Snyder, Natalie Ambrozic, and Sophomore Helena Shoplik. Freshman midfielder Sarah Wallerstedt and transfer sophomore Jess Heuler will add depth to an experienced midfield."
 
Upperclassmen leadership both at midfield and defense will be a significant strength for the 2014 Bearcats. Senior Maggie Garvey returns as a captain and looks to continue her dominance in winning draws and contributing to the offense where she can. Garvey was first on the team in draw controls with 69, followed by junior Amie Dobracki with 43 draw control wins. Additionally Dobracki led the team in caused turnovers with 19. She looks to remain healthy and will also serve as a junior captain for the team.
 
Defensively, the Bearcats will return senior Kiana Wilson and standout sophomore Kelsey McMillen. Wilson was a consistent force for the Bearcats, starting 14 games. She was fourth on the team in ground ball pickups with 31 and second on the team in caused turnovers with 16. McMillen played in all 16 games for the Bearcats and made her presence known with seven caused turnovers.
 
Finally, the Bearcats will look to their returning starting goalie Michelle Mitchell to be a stalwart in the cage. Mitchell started 10 games for the Bearcats last season and recorded 87 saves including a huge save in the final moments of the semi-finals of the inaugural Presidents' Athletic Conference tournament against Washington & Jefferson College.
 
Walters could not be more confident in the group of girls looking to compete for the Bearcats this season. He commented on the noticeable energy among the group, "Honestly there is a positive vibe on the team with all the players, and we're all stoked about Cats lax!"
 
The Bearcats will open their season in North Carolina against Methodist University.