Feb. 19, 2008

FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason women's lacrosse team enters the 2008 season looking to erase the memories of a disappointing end to the 2007 campaign. With an influx of new talent joining the squad this season, along with proven veterans on both sides of the field, the Patriots have high hopes of putting the past behind them and earning a berth to the CAA Tournament for the 13th time in the 15-year history of the program.

Leading the attack once again this season will be senior Laura King, who ranks second in school history in career goals and fifth in points. King is coming off a 2007 season that saw her pace the Patriots in goals (37), points (48) and shooting percentage (.552). She earned IWLCA Second-Team All-South, First-Team All-CAA and VaSID Second-Team All-Virginia honors for her impressive performance on the field. While she has already cemented her place as one of the top attackers in school history, Head Coach Amy Bokker will look for her senior leader to take over the game more in her final season on the team.

"Laura is a really focused player. We expect her to have a great senior season," Bokker said. "If she has any fault, it is that she is sometimes a bit too unselfish with the ball. We'd like her to be a little bit more selfish every once in a while."

Joining King to comprise an experienced trio of attackers will be junior Brittany Berger and sophomore Megan Udovich, who started 14 games as a freshman. Berger is a two-year starter who scored 15 goals and led the team in assists with 14 last season. As a freshman, Udovich made her George Mason debut a memorable one, scoring three goals against Johns Hopkins on Feb. 24. After her impressive debut, Udovich went on to have a great season, finishing with 25 goals and 34 points. She was named to the CAA All-Rookie Team.

"With the experience in the attack, we're looking for Laura, Megan and Britney to maintain poise, control tempo and act as point guards on the field," Bokker said. "We are looking for them to keep us poised on the field and in control of games in close situations this season, so we can hopefully be on the winning end of those close games."

Another key scoring threat from last season, midfielder Kelly Davis, who was a CAA All-Rookie Team selection along with Udovich, will be missed this season as she recovers from a knee injury she suffered during the fall. The three-time CAA Rookie of the Week award winner had a remarkable season on the offensive side of the field, ranking second on the team in goals (35), points (40), free-position goals (7) and shooting percentage (.461).

While Davis production at the midfield position will certainly be missed, the team returns an experienced starter to the position in Alex Velesz, returning for her senior season in 2008. Velesz has been a starter for the Patriots for the past three seasons. While she focused more on the defensive side of the field last season, setting a career-high with 17 caused turnovers, she will be counted on more on the offensive side of the field this year in the absence of Davis. Velesz is certainly capable of being an offensive threat, as evidenced by her 30 goals scored during the 2005 and 2006 seasons.

While she has yet to play a game for Mason, Alana Chan brings experience at both the NCAA and international levels of play. Before sitting out last season as a transfer, Chan played two seasons as a standout midfielder at Canisius College, where she was a two-time First-Team All-MAAC selection and the 2005 MAAC Defender of the Year. She also played for the Canadian National Team along with current Mason assistant coach Brooke McKenzie at the 2005 World Cup in Annapolis, Md.

"Alana is a true midfielder," Bokker said. "She can score some goals as well as make things happen on the defensive end of the field."

Chan's ability on the defensive side of the field will help bolster an already potent Patriot defense. Last season, Mason ranked fifth in the nation with 11.13 caused turnovers per game and ninth in the nation with 21.19 ground balls per game.

While the team will lose a pair of defensive standouts in Katie Linnertz and Melissa Curry, Mason returns a pair of top players in senior Megan Bartlett and junior Maggie Bridges. A three-year starter, Bartlett led the team with 22 caused turnovers to rank fifth in the CAA with an average of 1.38 caused turnovers per game. In her first season as a starter in 2007, Bridges finished third in the CAA and sixth in the nation in ground balls per game with an average of 3.38. She was named First-Team All-CAA and Second-Team VaSID All-Virginia for her efforts.

In addition to the experience of Bartlett and Bridges, the defensive unit will also benefit from the experience of Jenny Tran, a senior who saw time in 12 games this past season. While the defense has always been a strength of the team, this season it looks as though the unit will have more speed than it has in past seasons, which could in turn help the offense.

"With these faster defenders, that can be a real advantage in generating some fast breaks out of the defense," Bokker said.

Guarding the net will be sophomore Sara Longobucco, who started all 16 games as a freshman, and notched 129 saves, including six games with double-digit save totals. Backing up Longobucco will be junior Roxie Alsruhe, who made 14 starts two years ago, and junior Bonnie Nelson. Bokker likes what she has seen in the trio of goalkeepers during the fall.

"All of them challenge each other every day," Bokker said. "That's the great advantage of having three goalkeepers; they push each other to work to be the best goalie that we can have in the cage."

In addition to the aforementioned Chan, there will be many new faces stepping onto the field for the first time for the Patriots. This group includes Erin Bigley, a defender from Moorestown, N.J.; Hayley Berger, a midfielder from Clifton, Va.; Chelsea Gamble, an attacker from Moorestown, N.J.; Lauren Gannon, a defender from Ijamsville, Md.; Cynthia Heiser, an attacker from Ellicott City, Md.; Caitlin Hoffen, a defender from Catonsville, Md.; Caroline Hoyt, an attacker from Fairfax, Va.; Madalyn Jamison, a midfielder from Finksburg, Md.; Allison Koch, an attacker from Lutherville, Md.; Maureen Onda, a defender from Sykesville, Md.; and Victoria Velesz, a midfielder from Woodbridge, Va. Bokker is excited about the depth and winning attitude the group brings to the team.

"The newcomers will provide a lot of depth to the team," Bokker said. "They are coming from storied high school programs with great winning traditions that we hope to carry on to our program. They have brought a winning attitude to the team."

Mason hopes that winning attitude will translate into results on the field once the team begins its 2008 season on Feb. 23 against Johns Hopkins at George Mason Stadium. The Patriots will play nine nonconference games. In addition to Hopkins, the team will take on Georgetown, Virginia Tech, George Washington, Iona, Boston University, St. Joseph's, American and Virginia.

Colonial Athletic Association play will begin on April 4 with a game against Old Dominion at George Mason Stadium. The final regular season game will be on the road against James Madison on April 26. The top four teams in the conference will advance to the CAA Championships, slated to begin on May 2 at the home of the highest seed.