BENNINGTON, Vt. – The Southern Vermont College women’s lacrosse team has been working hard over the last month—preparing itself to make another run at the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) title in 2017.
The NECC announced the results of its preseason poll on Wednesday with the Mountaineers being selected to finish second in the league standings this year; Southern Vermont garnered one of the nine first-place votes.
SVC ended the 2016 campaign in third place to secure its second-straight postseason appearance and first-ever home playoff game. Southern Vermont took the No. 3 seed in the Conference tournament with a league record of 5-2 (7-11 overall).
“Starting our third season of Conference play has put us in a little different situation,” said SVC third-year head coach Thomas L. Otero who was named the NECC Coach of the Year by his peers last season. “We are no longer the new team on the block; our opponents in the Conference now know that we are competitive and a capable team. We will not sneak up on anyone this season, which means we will have to prepare harder.”
Southern Vermont defeated No. 6 Elms College in the opening round of the 2016 playoffs before making a stellar comeback upset at No. 2 Becker College in the semis. SVC went to the Conference finals in just its second year as a varsity program, yet unfortunately fell to four-time NECC champion Regis College.
“In order to be a championship-caliber team, we will have to come together and play unselfish lacrosse,” Otero continued. “Everyone needs to be involved in the game. Not only do we need to develop our basic skills, but we must develop that intuition that all great athletes and teams have; our non-verbal communication skills must become second nature to all of our players. Understanding schemes and tendencies will increase our success. The desire to win and leave it all on the field must burn within all members of our team.”
Otero’s 2017 squad will look very similar to that from a year ago as he welcomes back 12 Mountaineers after graduating only one player in 2016. That group will be joined by four new members of the team.
Among those returning for Southern Vermont are three senior captains: Emily Lesure (Cheshire, Mass.), Lauren Nesshoever (Chittenden, Vt.), and Mel Orrell (Gloucester, Mass.).
“I looked at these three seniors as the core of our team from the first day of inception,” Otero noted of his seasoned leaders. “They have coached players as hard as I have to improve their teammates’ skills and game play. They all sacrificed a lot during the first years of our program, and they have each left an individual mark on this team and the NECC already. To say they will be missed does not accurately describe my feelings; not only were they my athletes, but they were my assistant coaches—and my friends.”
Orrell had a terrific season in 2016, leading the league in goals (68) en route to being named the NECC Player of the Year. She was also second in the Conference in ground balls (83), draw controls (84), and caused turnovers (44).
Nesshoever joined Orrell on the All-NECC First Team after registering 45 goals and six assists—both of those ranking her second for the Mountaineers. She picked up the third-most ground balls (36) for SVC while securing the second-most draw controls (41) on the team.
Lesure was at third for Southern Vermont in goals scored with 35 and second for the team in ground balls with 37. She was also right behind Nesshoever for draw controls—reeling in 38 to rank third for SVC.
“I expect us to be one of the top-three teams in our conference; we have a feeling of confidence that was not there last season,” Otero added. “We will have to work hard for every win this season, but our tools will be better as well.”
The Mountaineers are set to open up the regular season this Sunday, February 26 with a 1 p.m. first draw at Dean College. SVC begins the NECC schedule at Newbury College—a first-year team—on March 25 before welcoming Mitchell College to Bennington on Saturday, April 1 for a 1 p.m. home opener. Southern Vermont will then celebrate Lesure, Nesshoever, and Orrell during Senior Day on Saturday, April 22 in conjunction with a 1 p.m. match against Regis.
2017 NECC Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Poll
1. Regis – 77 (8)
2. Southern Vermont – 69 (1)
3. Becker – 60
4. Wheelock – 56
5. Elms – 48
6. Mitchell – 35
7. Newbury – 27
8. Bay Path – 18
9. Daniel Webster – 15
(Parentheses denote first-place votes)
– #LetsGoSVC –