SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – After a trip to the 2016 Liberty League Championship game, the Skidmore College women's lacrosse team looks to reach the mountaintop and win its first league championship title in 2017. The season gets started on Saturday, when the Thoroughbreds travel to No. 19 Ithaca at 3 p.m.
 
The Thoroughbreds (10-8, 6-3 Liberty) turned it up late in the 2016 season, winning eight of their last nine games to reach the league championship game, falling to William Smith by a goal. This season, head coach Elizabeth Ghilardi believes that 2017 will be the year.

"For us, [making the league playoffs] is no longer a goal, but an expectation of the program," said Ghilardi. "From a cultural standpoint it's something that the girls have bought into, and that started over the summer with our strength and conditioning coach [Matt Chatham]. I like the group of girls that we have here."
 
The Thoroughbreds return nine starters and are led by two senior captains that will look to dominate in 2017, Allison Byrne and Rachel Talanian. Byrne does her work on the offensive end, finishing sixth in scoring with 11 points on nine goals and two assists. Talanian plies her trade on the defensive end and comes off a stellar 2016, where she was the first underclassman to earn IWLCA All-American honors in program history, setting school records with 50 caused turnovers and 76 ground balls.
 
"Ultimately our captains are leaders on the team because of the example they set with their work ethic, said Ghilardi. "Allison is our leader offensively with her voice and her play. Rachel by nature is humble, and it helps that she's a defender," said Ghilardi. "It's easier for defenders to buy into a team-first attitude, and she knows that she is one member of a defensive unit. Rachel is so competitive and just wants to get better."
 
Attack
Joining Byrne on Skidmore's potent attack line is Cas Szwajkowski. Szwajkowski burst onto the scene as a freshman, finishing with an impressive 50 goals to earn Liberty League Rookie of the Year honors.
 
"Szwajowski is a gamer," said Ghilardi. "She just has this third and fourth gear that she can reach in games. She's no longer a rookie and everyone knows who she is, so in order for her to improve, she's going to have to improve her game and push outside of her comfort zone."
 
Marissa Caponi is another player that can score at will. Caponi was fourth on the team with 26 points on 17 goals and nine assists. Anna Boogaerts made the most of her 15 games played, tallying nine points on five goals and four assists. They'll be flanked by sophomore Michela Bonaforte and freshmen Amanda Orvis, Abby Sanford, and Lilla Seymour.
 
Midfield
The midfield is another position in which Skidmore boasts a ton of talent. Tyler Phillips returns for her senior season after a near record-setting 2016 campaign. Phillips is one of the fastest players in the league, according to Ghilardi, and in 2016 she led the team with 70 points and nearly broke the single-season mark for goals, notching 57. She was named the IWLCA All-Empire Region first team, and is looking to break even more records this year. She's joined by Natalie LaBeau, who can play both ways but her specialty is controlling the draw. Kathleen Hanna is a freshman that has surprised the coaching staff in the preseason and will look for significant playing time this year. She's joined by fellow freshmen Louisa Vincent, Vivan Foley, and Zoe Rafalowski-Houseman.
 
Defense
The defensive unit returns after having lost just one member to graduation in 2016. Along with Talanian, Emily Schlicht, Gianna Muscari, and Ellie Daly are all back to anchor what could be one of Division III's stingiest defenses. Freshmen Teyana Daley and Amanda Cagnassola along with sophomores Frankie White Levin and Erin Mah will also be looked upon to contribute this year.
 
Goalie
The Thoroughbreds return All-Liberty League Honorable Mention member Megan Kolopsky in net. Kolopsky started all 18 games this year, finishing third in the Liberty League with an 8.34 goals against average and was second with 7.17 saves per game. In the last two seasons, Kolopsky has a record of 22-13, and has improved on her save percentage and goals against average in every season. Junior Taylor Goodwill and freshmen Caroline Kenlon and Nicki Ekert have all pushed for significant minutes behind Kolopsky.
 
Season Outlook
Skidmore starts the season off strong, first heading to Ithaca, ranked 19th in the first IWLCA Preseason Poll on Saturday, Sept. 25 at 3 p.m. The Thoroughbreds will begin the home portion of the schedule against Babson on March 4, and Utica on March 8. Skidmore then heads to Florida to take on Wesleyan (March 13) and Stevenson (March 16), and comes back north to face No. 14 Hamilton on March 21. Skidmore closes out non-league play at Mount Holyoke on March 25.
 
"We've changed our schedule a bit," said Ghilardi. "We decided to increase our strength of schedule, and we play some good teams. When we get into conference play, hopefully we're clicking on all cylinders."
 
The quest to return to the league championship game begins for the Thoroughbreds on March 31, hosting the University of Rochester. The Thoroughbreds will also host RIT the next day. Skidmore travels to Clarkson (Apr. 7), St. Lawrence (Apr. 8), Union (Apr. 17), defending champion William Smith (Apr. 15), and RPI (Apr. 28) in the regular season finale. Skidmore hosts Vassar (Apr. 21) and Bard (Apr. 22) in league play, with Bard serving as the home finale. The Thoroughbreds were picked second by the league's coaches this season.