WILKES-BARRE, PA (February 20, 2019) – The King's College women's lacrosse team enters its third season under head coach Ashley Stevens, but this year will have a distinctly different feel as the squad transitions from a veteran group to a contingent with just three juniors. King's has graduated five All-Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom (MAC Freedom) players over the last two seasons, but Stevens is excited about where the group is at.

"The main thing that's different this season is that we have a lot of youth," said Stevens, who is in her fifth year as a collegiate head coach after a four-year playing career at Randolph College. "With youth brings experience from other programs, but I think we have a better overall talent level, and we're also very tight knit which has made implementing new things easier on both Quincy (Wilkins) and myself."

Though having youth is exciting and gives promise for down the road, it does come with growing pains and Stevens is hopeful that the talent level that comes with the freshman group of nine will make up for some of those early mistakes. The good thing is that the Monarchs return their defensive unit that started all 18 games a season ago, led by a junior trio of defensive captains in Jennifer Smalley, Mia Dardanelli and Kelly Pierce.

"To have these three captains, it makes it easier to get the message out and relay things," said Stevens. "Also, having the experience on the defensive end to be able to trust them allows us to spend a little more time on offensive concepts which is definitely nice with such a short amount of time going into the season."

Despite the inexperience that some positions will have with it, Stevens sees many newcomers having a big role early so that later in the season they will be playing with an added sense of experience and confidence, feeding into the bigger goals on the season. "Our team goal across the board has been consistency, both on and off the field and with both coaches and players," said Stevens. "We want to build each other up individually, and we're confident that we can be a playoff team again this year. With that though, we're still focused on doing the little things day-by-day to get to that point."

The Monarchs will have plenty of early tests and plenty away from Wilkes-Barre, as five of the first six games are on the road. The ability to go out there and compete and be consistent is something Stevens wants to see. "I think early on our schedule gives us an opportunity to see how we go out and compete. You've got to be able to compete hard before you can win, and show a high intensity level early so we can get to where we want to be during the middle and end of the year."

In the end though, it comes down to the old adage that winning takes talent, but repeating that takes character. "We've got a lot of talent on this team, and if we can come and stay together through the entire season, I know we can get where we want to go." Now, a look at each position group.

ATTACK
It's not a secret that the Monarchs graduated two of their all-time leading scorers in Anastasia Araviakis and Amanda Carroll, who both earned All-MAC Freedom honors while combining on 102 goals and 137 points last year. They were two important cogs in an offense that was potent, scoring 195 goals which ranked fourth in the conference.

The Monarchs will look to replace that scoring with a potent group of incoming freshman at attack along with a deep, balanced and talented bunch in the midfield.

Back on attack this season and ready to have a much bigger role is sophomore Emma Lehman, who started 13 games while seeing action in all 18 contests. Lehman is a very smart and effective attack, who knows angles and has a strong shot. Lehman scored 18 goals last season and assisted on six other tallies. Look for Lehman to have a much bigger role this season on attack.

Helping her out down low is a strong group of incoming freshman in Brianna Raucci, Bethany Cabrera and Natasha Koslop. Raucci is a strong and physical forward with a great stick and ability to finish, while Koslop is an exciting prospect who is the all-time leading scorer at local Crestwood High School. Cabrera is also an athletic forward that moves well and could work into a nice role throughout the season for King's.

King's will also plays some midfielders from time to time on attack, as freshman Bailey Jordan, Emily Sims and Jen O'Connor will add depth at attack though mainly focusing on the midfield.

MIDFIELD
The Monarchs had the luxury of playing with Araviakis and fellow senior Kendra McCoy in the midfield the last few seasons, but the coaching staff is excited about the group they will have in the middle of the field this year. King's brings back two existing middie starters, while their freshman group of the three mentioned above will also be mainstays as well.

Sophomore Kylie McCarthy returns to the fold after starting in all 17 games she played last year, and has looked great thus far. McCarthy has taken a leadership role with her younger position mates, and is poised to have a breakout season after posting 15 goals along with 21 ground balls and five draw controls.

Fellow sophomore Mary Kate Klodarska was another full-time starter in 2018, and she is back with her sights set on being one of the best middies in the league. Klodarska is among the most athletic players on the team, and has great vision as she was second on the team with 13 assists last year. Klodarska is also opportunistic offensively, scoring on three of her six free positions last year.

As mentioned before, Jordan, Sims and O'Connor all arrive as solid additions in three different types of playing styles. Jordan, a field hockey player in the fall, is a smart and solid midfielder that will play mostly on the attacking side of the ball. She has was an All-Wyoming Valley player last season at Pittston Area, so look for goals from Jordan.

O'Connor has been a real treat to watch in the preseason, as her size, skill and confidence with the ball should make her a threat on both sides of the field. Dominant on draws, she gives the Monarchs a very skilled replacement for Araviakis and Carroll on the start. Once she's got the ball, she has a fantastic motor, drives with both hands well and has a great shot. Look for a big impact from O'Connor this season.

Rounding out the midfield group is Sims, from nearby Wyoming Seminary. Sims is one of the hardest working and smartest players on the team already, and has shown to be an immediate impact player as well. Sims is shifty, has great fitness and doesn't mind getting physical on both offense and defense. Her field vision is also very good, as she should contend for the team lead in assists this season.

Along with this group of five, look for Lehman and Koslop to get some time in the midfield due to their strong draw play and dodging ability with the ball.

DEFENSE
The Monarchs, as talked about earlier, are fortunate to have an experienced group returning, led by All-MAC performer Kelly Pierce. The junior from Caldwell, NJ is a dynamo on the back-end as she finished second on the team and eighth in the MAC Freedom in caused turnovers with 38. Pierce also has the ability clear the ball by herself, scoring in those positions as well with three tallies last year.

Along with Pierce, Dardanelli and Smalley each started every game and will look to hold down the fort once again. Dardanelli plays with a swagger and confidence not often seen on the defensive end, and her strong stick skills led to her picking up 23 ground balls last year. Smalley caused 12 turnovers in 2018, and her vocal presence and strong leadership qualities make her the perfect anchor on a defensive unit that's looking to improve from allowing the third-most goals in the league last year.

The Monarchs will also welcome back sophomore Helen Zaremba, who also has looked strong and confident in the spring. Zaremba is a smart defender, moves well and knows where to be on the field, as she looks to shake off an injury that cut her 2018 season short.

King's welcomes four newcomers to the defensive side of the ball, with two coming from New York along with two local products. Senior Lindsey Dippre of the women's basketball team will look to see if her defensive skills on the hardwood translate to the field this year, and the coaching staff is hoping her tenacity and grit rubs off on the young squad.

Fellow local product Vanessa Dankovitch from Coughlin High School is working hard and her athleticism could be a strong asset throughout the year. Kristen Mahon from Burke Catholic has been a strong addition and looks to jump right in as an impact defender. Mahon was an All-Section IX player in high school in a good lacrosse league, and her intelligence and strong checking ability will be an asset.

Fellow New Yorker Chloe Rizzo is another highly touted newcomer who the coaching staff sees a ton of potential in. Rizzo has one of the best sticks on the defensive unit and plays angles extremely well. Look for her to get more and more playing time throughout the season for the Monarchs.

GOALIE
The Monarchs are fortunate to have an All-MAC Freedom player back between the pipes, as Orla Cottell returns for her sophomore season after a strong freshman campaign. Cottell has been working hard this off-season to improve her overall game, one that saw her start all 18 games while making 136 saves in net. She posted a season-high 19 saves against Delaware Valley, earning MAC Freedom Defensive Player of the Week for her play. Cottell will continue to be the go-to netminder in 2019.

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The Monarchs get their season started Thursday, February 21 at 5 p.m. on McCarthy Stadium against Gwynedd Mercy before traveling to Drew University this weekend for a 3 p.m. start with the Rangers in Madison, NJ.