Going into their 2018 season, the Hawks of girls lacrosse were introduced to their new and current coach, Jennifer Fox.

“Having come in so late, I was super impressed with how my girls were so bought in,” Fox said of last season. “With a new coach comes a new set of expectations and they really busted their butts all season. They did a phenomenal job.”

Last season ended for the Hawks when they lost to Endicott College in the conference championship by two goals. Looking forward to this season, Coach Fox says she thinks the team is stronger.

“Our stickwork and our speed is better this year. Especially with our returners, I think they came back ready to go. If you lose by two goals in a conference championship, you think about it every day,” she said.

As far as returning starters, Coach Fox named senior captains Emily Stoeppel and Serena Murphy as veterans to watch out for. Stoeppel was named CCC Defensive Player of the Year for the 2018 season and will be on the draw circle this season. Fox also named Devon Sarazin, who was awarded RWU Freshman Athlete of the Year last year, and is returning as a sophomore. Sophomore Delana Erickson will also be on the draw circle.

“They’re expected to do great things,” said Fox.

Also on Fox’s watch list are juniors Shayne Rivard and Ashley Warren, as well as sophomore Lauren Flahive, who made All-CCC First Team last season as a freshman.

Junior Lydia Nelson, who will be starting goalie this season, was also mentioned.

“She’s grown phenomenally. I think of all the players she’s grown the most,” Fox said regarding Nelson.

Coach Fox cites freshman Madi Drain as a force to be reckoned with on the field this season.

“We’ve had one scrimmage so far, and she played the whole game as a midfielder,” Fox said. “I think she’s going to be a huge threat on both ends of the field.”

Coach Fox said that she wants to focus on progress instead of perfection this year.

“Every single day we’re going to be thinking about our improvement from yesterday.”

As far as technical focus, Fox said the team will be working to improve their speed, stickwork, and LAX IQ.

“I think every day we’ll be working towards making progress and growing this program,” said Fox. “I think all of the girls are super bought in and I’m super excited to see how they perform because they’ve put in so much work.”