Lacrosse prepares to defend CAA title
Madison ranked 12th nationally in preseason poll
By John Galle, sports editor
Posted on February 9, 2007

The JMU women’s lacrosse team lost two key players and its coach from last season’s Colonial Athletic Association championship team, but instead of folding, the Dukes are poised to repeat.

Not only did Madison hire JMU alumna Shelley Klaes-Bawcome, 2005 CAA coach of the year, from rival Hofstra (2002-06), but the team also attained a No. 12 national ranking in Lacrosse Magazine’s preseason polls — a ranking that places the Dukes higher than where they finished last season (No. 13).

“Ever since [we won] CAAs not being ranked high all season and proving ourselves, [reaching] the Elite Eight, it really did help pull us up in the polls,” senior defender Kylee Dardine said. “Twelve is a nice number, but we’re looking to go lower.”

Returning both the CAA Offensive Player of the Year in senior midfielder Kelly Berger and the Defensive Player of the Year in Dardine, the Dukes are ready for a 2007 run, in hopes of making it at least to the Final Four.

Ironically, the Dukes open their season at home against No. 5 Notre Dame – a team that handed JMU its first loss of the season in overtime by a point last year and went on to reach the Final Four.

“It’s bittersweet,” Berger said. “They’re a great squad, but either way it’s [going to be] a dog fight. They went to the Final Four last year, and that’s something we want to do … We always say only one game at a time, and that first game is Notre Dame; so, we’ve been focusing on them for a while.”

The JMU players have noticed significant changes that have altered their complexion as the defending CAA champs. Two of the biggest were the loss of two captains: goalkeeper Livvy King and attacker Brooke McKenzie.

King finished last season among the NCAA leaders in goals-against average (23rd, 9.99) and saves percentage (53rd, .449), while McKenzie, who played for the 2005 Canadian World Cup Team, finished her senior season at JMU second in assists and points (18, 62) and third in goals (44), five of which were game-clinching.

“It’s my understanding that both players gave us a lot of leadership,” Klaes-Bawcome said. “So, we’ve really tried to focus on that all year long. The more we can empower our younger players to lead this squad, the better we’re going to be.”

Perhaps the biggest loss for JMU was the departure of King from the cage. But Klaes-Bawcome believes junior goalie Kelly Wetzel will be ready, gaining confidence behind a stout defense.

“[Replacing] Livvy is going to be really tough,” Berger said. “We have great goalkeepers here, just ones that haven’t had to be in the spotlight. They are learning to do that [now] and they’re doing an amazing job with it.”

Newly elected tri-captain and senior attacker Maria Bosica will also be thrust into the spotlight offensively, according to Klaes-Bawcome. Bosica will be one of a number of attackers for JMU attempting to fill McKenzie’s shoes.

“She brings something to the table that [McKenzie] did and more,” Berger said, who played against Bosica in high school. “She’s just someone who is so poised on attack and has complete confidence in her teammates at all times … She’s our leading attacker this year; she’s running that attack. I’m here to help her, but it’s her show.”

And Bosica seems ready for that leading role.

“I’ve been looking forward to it, to be honest,” Bosica said. “So, I’m kind of embracing [the pressure] to be able to help my team out this year and have a big impact.”

Looking at the schedule, the Dukes have one less ranked team on the schedule to worry about this go around, but that’s not saying much.

With seven ranked opponents on the 2007 schedule, four of which sit in the Top 10, Madison will be battle-tested early, preparing them for conference play — very similar to last year.

By the end of the season, the Dukes will have taken on No. 2 Virginia, No. 6 Dartmouth, No. 8 Georgetown and No. 16 Stanford.

On top of that, they will be fending off conference foes with that reigning-championship target on their backs in the CAA, which features three teams in the Top 20 — No. 12 JMU, No. 13 Hofstra and No. 18 Towson.