Women's Lacrosse 2/17/2015 6:59:00 AM

Colonials Enter Second Decade with Lofty Goals

2015 season begins Wednesday morning with rivalry matchup against Duquesne

Moon Township, Pa. - Last spring, the Robert Morris University women's lacrosse team finished its first decade on a high, posting an overall record of 11-5 and qualifying for the Northeast Conference tournament for just the second time in program history.

As the Colonials' second decade begins this week, the challenge will be to continue building upon the work done in their first 10 seasons.

"The goal is to maintain the work ethic and the culture it takes to be a championship team," said Katy Phillips, the only head coach the program has ever known. "The expectation is for every team member to make a daily contribution. I think experience is everything...we are returning three classes of players who have gone through the postseason and all that goes with it."

There are many reasons to believe Robert Morris can orchestrate a postseason encore. The Colonials have 17 players (12 upperclassmen) returning from last year's squad, including their top six goal-scorers and nine of their top 10 point-getters overall. RMU ranked second in the NEC with 11.2 goals per game last season, so the attack figures to be potent again.

Junior Corey Karwacki leads the returning scorers, as she poured in team-bests in goals (32), assists (14) and total points (46) en route to All-NEC Second Team honors. Senior midfielder Kristin Yoviene (All-NEC Second Team) is coming off a 29-goal season while assisting on 14 others, while junior Jessica Karwacki (All-NEC First Team) netted 24 goals to go with her NCAA-record 214 draw controls.

Jessica Karwacki's immense skill on the draw ensures that the Colonials will have their share of possession - Phillips called the midfielder a "huge asset" - but an area of focus this preseason has been to improve in the more unpredictable areas of the game.

"We want to be more successful in the chaos," Phillips said. "We really have focused on 'unsettled play' that can be created by a turnover anywhere on the field. We're working on the ability to read the situation and strike. Not to play it safe, but really push the tempo and use each other's strengths to make the team better."

Junior Brittany Byerly projects to make a huge impact in all aspects, as she returns from a knee injury that cut her sophomore season short. Although the Wexford, Pa., native played in just six games last year, she scored a stunning 17 goals, ranking sixth on the Colonials despite sitting out the final 11 contests. She was an All-NEC First Team selection as a freshman, when she buried 32 goals to lead the team.

"Brittany brings such a level of overall athleticism and IQ," Phillips said. "She becomes a quarterback on both sides of the field. She's a true midfielder and her vision is spectacular. I think last year provided her the opportunity to see the game in a different way.

"Our girls spent a lot of last season playing for her and supporting her through her injury, so I think she's excited and hungry to give back to her team. We've seen good things from her already. She took her rehab and recovery seriously. You can see how strong that's made her physically and mentally."

Byerly and Yoviene make up half of the Colonials' quartet of captains, with senior defenders Kristi Marks and Haley Schemm rounding out that group.

Marks was an All-NEC Second Team performer last year while averaging 2.31 ground-ball recoveries per game, which ranked fifth in the conference. The North Carolinian also led the Colonials in caused turnovers with 21; Pittsburgh native Schemm collected 18 to tie for second on the squad.

Clearly, RMU doesn't lack for experience in the field, but in the crease is a different story. Following the graduation of four-year stalwart Caitlin Pentz, the Colonials must turn to youth at the goalie position in the form of sophomore Hallie Yancey and freshman Mackenzie Duffy.

"We're going to be young in the 'cage,'" Phillips said. "Our defensive unit has worked hard to adapt to new faces back there. That part of the game is going to be new. Our two defensive captains in Schemm and Marks are going to be vital because we have such a young goalie duo."

Duffy, from Rhode Island, is one of 10 newcomers to the team. Nine of those are freshman, in addition to junior Amanda Harrington, who transferred from the powerhouse University of Maryland program. While Harrington brings her own unique experiences and talents to the Colonials, valuable contributors will surely emerge from the youngest crop, too.

"Our incoming class is prepared and ready," Phillips said. "They come from championship backgrounds, whether at the high school level or the club level. Our freshman are traditionally competitive and buy into our culture, which makes our team stronger every year."

Competition is a constant theme in the women's lacrosse offices at Joe Walton Stadium, as the coaching staff that includes third-year assistant Katrina Silva and new addition Caitlin Prince seeks to instill intangible qualities to accompany physical skill.

"We've definitely been excited about the talent that's come in, but I think the words that will define the season are tough, resilience, family and passion," Phillips said. "Those things are what build these players into a team. The mental aspect of the game is what pushes you from a team that competes (for wins) to a team that competes for a championship. That's what's going to show up on the field.

"We've tried to create an atmosphere that fosters that, so when push comes to shove and we're trying to win a game, it's already in them."

The trials of the season begin with games this week against Duquesne (Wednesday at Thiel College) and Cincinnati (Sunday at home). The Colonials will play nine non-conference games over the first six weeks of the season as they hone their chemistry and camaraderie.

"I want us to use each non-conference game to learn and grow as a team," Phillips said. "I want to see what we can do in different situations...to be able to test our strategies so we feel we have a full complement in our arsenal. You always want to be successful out of conference, but for us it's also a stretch of preparation."

After that, RMU digs into a seven-game NEC slate that covers the month of April. The Colonials have gone 31-20 in conference action over the past six seasons, posting winning records against NEC competition in five of those springs. They were 5-2 in league last year, finishing third of eight teams.

"The great thing about the conference is that it gets more competitive every year," Phillips said. "I think that in any given season, those four (postseason) spots are open for everybody. There are no guaranteed wins in this conference anymore, and that's exciting. It keeps you on your toes."

With the new season on the doorstep, the Robert Morris program is looking toward the immediate future, while simultaneously acknowledging how its past has shaped its current maturing form.

"We just celebrated our 10th anniversary so we got the opportunity to see all of the alumni back in town," Phillips said. "We saw the women that started the program as the first recruits, women who have been a part of our success as we've gone through this last decade.

"While we've changed and evolved in the goals we've set every year, I think the exciting part is the character of who we bring in. Our culture has always been there and it's defined us from the beginning."

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