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Feb. 5, 2010

U of L's leading scorer, Bergan Foley has been named to the Pre-Season All-BIG EAST Team and the Cardinals have been picked fifth in the conference lacrosse poll.

The BIG EAST women's lacrosse coaches have selected Georgetown as the favorite in the 2010 BIG EAST women's lacrosse preseason poll. The Hoyas totaled 59 points, including four first-place votes and were narrowly picked ahead of Syracuse (57 points) and Notre Dame (54 points). The Orange totaled three first-place votes while the Irish had two. All three teams advanced to the 2009 NCAA Championship. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own teams.

Notre Dame senior attack Gina Scioscia was selected as the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and was one of six unanimous Preseason All-BIG EAST honorees. Syracuse junior goalkeeper Liz Hogan earned Preseason Defensive Player of the Year honors as well as Preseason All-BIG EAST accolades.

Scioscia totaled 96 points, including 53 goals and 43 assists last season. She also scored six game-winning goals, collected 19 ground balls and was an All-BIG EAST Second Team selection last season. She is the league's top returning scorer, averaging 4.6 points per game.

Hogan played in 19 games last year and posted a 9.58 goals-against average. She also tallied 144 saves, collected 41 ground balls and was an All-BIG EAST First Team selection last season.

Georgetown returns eight starters to a squad that won a share of the 2009 BIG EAST regular-season crown as well as the No. 1 seed for the BIG EAST Championship. The Hoyas went 13-6 last season, including 6-1 in BIG EAST play. Senior attack Molly Ford, a unanimous Preseason All-BIG EAST selection, led the offense with 72 points last season, including 55 goals. She is joined by classmate and midfielder Ashby Kaestner on the Preseason All-BIG EAST team. Kaestner totaled 63 points, including 45 goals in 2009.

Syracuse, which has advanced to the NCAA Championship in each of the last three years under the direction of head coach Gary Gait, returns seven starters and 22 letterwinners in 2010. The Orange (14-5, 6-1 BIG EAST) also totaled a league-leading four Preseason All-BIG EAST selections, including Hogan. Leading the offense will be Preseason All-BIG EAST selections Christina Dove and Halley Quillinan. Dove, a senior midfielder and unanimous preseason pick, totaled 80 points, including 59 goals, last season. Quillinan, a senior attack player accumulated 52 points, including 45 goals. Senior Lindsay Rogers, also a Preseason All-BIG EAST pick, will anchor the defense. She totaled a team-leading 56 draw controls along with 26 ground balls.

Notre Dame rounds out the teams earning first-place votes and is coming off its first BIG EAST tournament championship. The Irish (16-5, 5-2 BIG EAST) had three players selected to the preseason all-conference team, including Scioscia. Junior midfield/attack Shaylyn Blaney, a Preseason All-BIG EAST pick, totaled 47 points, including 44 goals, along with 46 draw controls and 31 ground balls in 2009. Senior defender Rachel Guerrera also was a Preseason All-BIG EAST selection after amassing 33 ground balls.

Loyola (11-6, 3-4 BIG EAST) was tabbed fourth in the preseason selections with 43 points and is expected to be led by junior midfield/attack Grace Gavin and junior defender Cara Filippelli. A Preseason All-BIG EAST pick, Gavin led the team in scoring with 74 points, including 56 goals, in 2009. Also chosen as a Preseason All-BIG EAST performer, Filippelli totaled 46 ground balls and 24 draw controls along with 20 points and 15 goals last season.

Louisville (10-7, 3-4 BIG EAST) was picked fifth in the league's preseason poll after making the BIG EAST Championship in its first year of league membership. Led by 2009 All-BIG EAST Second Team junior Bergan Foley, the Cardinals are entering their third year of Division I play. Foley, a Preseason All-BIG EAST selection totaled 67 points, including 61 goals, last season. She is the league's top returning goal-scorer, averaging 3.8 per game.

Rutgers (7-9, 3-4 BIG EAST) was picked sixth and will look for the leadership of senior attack Brooke Cantwell to lead the offense. A Preseason All-BIG EAST selection, Cantwell was the team's top offensive threat last season totaling 38 points, including 32 goals. She also proved very versatile and totaled 24 draw controls and 23 ground balls.

Connecticut and Cincinnati round out the poll, followed by Villanova.

The 2010 season will be the first year the league will contain nine members as Villanova begins BIG EAST play. In addition, it is the first year all three games of the BIG EAST Championship will be televised live on national television. The CBS College Sports Network will broadcast both semifinals live on May 6 while the title game is set for May 8. The 2010 BIG EAST Women's Lacrosse Championship will be held at Rutgers University.

2010 BIG EAST Women's Lacrosse Preseason Coaches Poll

1.       Georgetown
2.       Syracuse (3)
3.       Notre Dame (2)
4.       Loyola
5.       Louisville
6.       Rutgers
7.       Connecticut
8.       Cincinnati
9.       Villanova
First-place votes in parentheses

2010 BIG EAST Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
Gina Scioscia, Notre Dame, Senior, Attack

2010 BIG EAST Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Liz Hogan, Syracuse, Junior, Goalkeeper

2010 BIG EAST Preseason All-BIG EAST Team^
Shaylyn Blaney, Notre Dame, Junior, Attack/Midfield
Brooke Cantwell, Rutgers, Senior, Attack
*Christina Dove, Syracuse, Senior, Midfield
Cara Filippelli, Loyola, Junior, Defense
Bergan Foley, Louisville, Junior, Attack
*Molly Ford, Georgetown, Senior, Attack
*Grace Gavin, Loyola, Junior, Midfield/Attack
Rachel Guerrera, Notre Dame, Senior, Defense
*Liz Hogan, Syracuse, Junior, Goalkeeper
Ashby Kaestner, Georgetown, Senior, Midfield
Halley Quillinan, Syracuse, Senior, Attack
Lindsay Rogers, Syracuse, Senior, Defense
*Gina Scioscia, Notre Dame, Senior, Attack

*unanimous selections
^due to a tie in voting an extra member has been added