BENNINGTON, Vt. — For its inaugural season in 2015, the Southern Vermont College women’s lacrosse team was selected to finish seventh in the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) this year based on a preseason poll voted on by league coaches.

The Southern Vermont women’s lacrosse team is set to play its first season after being established last spring. First year head coach Tomas L. Otero is excited to get playing on the pitch after being inside the SVC gymnasium for preseason during the last few weeks. “I have a combination of players with high school and college experience, and some who have never played,” commented Otero. “All are working hard to improve stick skills and learn the college game. This will be a history-making season for the Mountaineers, and we are looking forward to the challenges as we develop our young program.”

Otero comes to SVC from nearby Mount Anthony Union High School and will immediately be coaching familiar faces. On the roster for the introductory season is freshman attack Taylor Brewer (Bennington, Vermont) who played at MAUHS for Otero, possessing good speed and stick skills. Another player who is anticipated to make an immediate impact is sophomore middy Emily Lesure (Cheshire, Massachusetts) who comes to SVC after playing for a year at Western New England University; prior to that, she was a four-year starter at Hoosac Valley High School where she was named the Rookie of the Year after her freshman season. Lesure was then selected to play in the conference all-star game following her junior and senior campaigns.

Also set to gear up in the Mountaineer uniform are sophomore middies Lauren Nesshoever (Rutland, Vermont) and Melodie Orrell (Gloucester, Massachusetts). Nesshoever played two varsity seasons at Otter Valley Union High School and also uses her athleticism to excel in soccer, garnering an All-NECC First Team selection in her first season as a Mountaineer this past fall. Orrell was the Northeastern Conference Player of the Year in her senior season playing at Gloucester High School in Massachusetts where she was a team captain; also an all-conference selection, she scored 73 points as a junior.

The harsh New England winter has already caused postponements for SVC, making the team’s season opener now on March 12 in a 3:30 p.m. start at Colby-Sawyer College. The Mountaineers then begin NECC action that Saturday, March 14, with a road match at Regis College.

Regis was the unanimous choice to capture the top spot in the league once again, coming off a championship-winning 14-3 season a year ago with a perfect 5-0 mark in regular season NECC action. Becker College and Wheelock College tied as the second-place finishers with 42 points apiece. The Hawks had a 3-2 record in the NECC in 2014, finishing 9-8 overall. Becker was picked second on four ballots and earned two votes each for third and fourth. Wheelock was 3-2 in the NECC and 5-8 overall last season; the Wildcats had three second-place, four third-place and one fifth-place vote.

2015 NECC Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Coaches Poll:

  1. Regis College (80 points, 8 first place votes)'
T-2. Becker College & Wheelock College (42 points)
4. Elms College (36 points)
5. Mitchell College (24 points)
6. Bay Path University (13 points)
7. Southern Vermont College (9 points)
8. Daniel Webster College (2 points)