Aug. 23, 2007

The La Salle field hockey team gets the 2007 underway this Saturday when they take to the road for a non-conference clash against Monmouth. Head Coach Sarah Catlin, entering her seventh season at the helm for the Explorers, is confident that her team has the talent necessary to be competitive in the Atlantic 10. The blue and gold are coming off of a season in which they finished 7-13 overall and posted a 3-4 mark in the A-10. Despite a losing record, the Explorers performed well down the stretch, winning three of five games to close out the season. The 2007 Explorers were picked to finish fifth in the Atlantic 10 Coaches' Poll.

Captains Ellen Axelsen and Colleen Nesbitt are the lone seniors returning for La Salle. Axelsen is a familiar figure between the pipes for the Explorers. In her two years as starting goalkeeper, she has proven to be one of the best in program history. Axelsen is coming off a year in which she posted a 2.14 goals against average and recorded three shutouts, en route to being named All-Atlantic 10 Honorable Mention. Nesbitt is a lightning-quick defender who has "tremendous field vision and distribution skills," according to Catlin.

A number of underclassmen have also made a good impression on the coaching staff. Catlin is optimistic that the strong preseason performances displayed by the junior class will carry over into the regular season. Whitney Madron, who has started every game in her La Salle career, provides versatility from the midfielder position. Catlin sees her as a defensive-minded player but expects her to have more scoring chances this fall. Maria Allegretto and Christy Miller are two skilled forwards that will provide additional scoring help, while Jess Menge is expected to make contributions on the defensive end.

Kelly Dougherty and Kara Harpel return to lead an exceptional sophomore class. Dougherty started in all 20 games last season, scoring two goals, while Harpel tied for the team-lead with six goals. Both players earned spots on the All-Atlantic 10 Rookie Team.

Among the newcomers to watch are Beth Carey and Rachel Deaner.

The Explorers travel to Monmouth on Saturday to take on the Hawks, before returning home on Sunday to host Ball State. The non-conference slate also consists of home contests against regional rivals Villanova, Lafayette and Drexel. This season marks the first time in six years that the three teams visit DeVincent Field.

If the Explorers are going to make a push towards the postseason, they will have to endure a tough Atlantic 10 schedule. A late-season stretch of games against Richmond, Temple and Saint Joseph's could make or break the season for La Salle. All three teams advanced to the Atlantic 10 Championship, with Richmond capturing the title. Temple, who is led by Player of the Year candidate Alli Lokey, is picked to unseat the Spiders as conference champions in 2007.

Game time this Saturday is at 1:00 p.m., with the Explorers' home opener on Sunday set to start at 12:00 p.m.