Lacrosse season is here, and for the American University lacrosse team, there’s nowhere to go but up.
After a shortened 8-game 2021 season in which the Eagles went 1-7, the team looks to bounce back in the 2022 season. Unfortunately, this rebound was delayed by at least one game, as the Eagles got blown out by the Georgetown Hoyas 20-8 in the season opener.
Attacker Emma Vinall, AU’s all-time leader in goals and points, is returning this season as a fifth-year senior and looks to widen her lead in those records while conquering a handful of other program records, including draw controls.
Vinall was the Eagles’ lone Patriot League Preseason All-League Team selection, and the honor marked her second consecutive selection.
The other two of last year’s top three scorers Casey Harkins and Erica Skowron both graduated, but 2021’s fourth-leading scorer, fifth-year senior Kendall Goldblum, is returning to help Vinall carry the offensive load.
On top of Vinall and Goldblum, 20 other players are returning from last year, including Emma Hare, who scored 6 goals last year on just 7 shots.
Though ranked 9th out of 10 in the Patriot League preseason poll, the Eagles look to make a push behind a revamped roster featuring 13 new players, including 11 freshmen and two sophomore transfers, Olivia Molfetta from Oberlin and Mary Alice Collins from Villanova.
Before Patriot League play begins on March 19, AU faces a manageable schedule, including short road trips to face local rivals such as George Mason, George Washington and Howard Universities.
April 13 looks to be the toughest game of the year, as Loyola Maryland, the first-ranked team in the Patriot League and the 10th-ranked team nationally by Inside Lacrosse, visits Jacobs Field.
Loyola Maryland beat the Eagles 21-4 last year and swept the Patriot League preseason honors as they took home preseason Attacker of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Midfielder of the Year and Goalkeeper of the Year honors.
Despite this, an Eagles roster fronted by veterans such as Vinall and Goldblum with second-year head coach Lindsey Teeters at the helm looks to improve upon the 2021 campaign and make some waves in the Patriot League.
