Fresno State Athletics
Lacrosse Ready to Make History
1/30/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
Jan. 30, 2009
FRESNO, Calif. - As Sue Behme nears the start of the season opener on Feb. 7 against Cal, she can't help but to reflect on the past and how she and the team has arrived to where they are now.
"It's almost surreal," Behme said. "When I was hired this whole time frame has gone so quickly that it is almost a blur. We have gone from having absolutely nothing to hiring a staff to creating competitive roster that has trained full-time since August. I have to sit and think about all the things that have happened that have gotten us to where we are because it is amazing that we are where we are."
Since being hired in May, Behme hired Lindsay Gotham and Carlee Buck as assistant coaches and had a team of 23 student-athletes in the fall that was ready to be the pioneers of Fresno State women's lacrosse.
"It is amazing to have everything we have when in June and July there was nothing," Behme said. "It is an experience of a lifetime."
When the experience of lifetime gets underway, Behme feels she has a schedule that is very balanced for such a young team, despite only have three home games. The Bulldogs will participate in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation with the likes of Cal, Stanford, UC Davis, Oregon, Saint Mary's and Denver.
Nonconference games are against Cincinnati, Detroit, Presbyterian College, St. Bonaventure, Johns Hopkins and Howard.
"We have a balanced schedule with the time frame I had to put this together," Behme said. "In June, schools would not have budgeted to come to Fresno State in 2009. That automatically puts us in a situation where we are going to have to travel, which I think is a great experience. Our conference is very difficult with Stanford, Cal, Denver and Oregon. We are going to get great competition. UC Davis and Saint Mary's are all very good too, while, Cincinnati and Detroit are relatively new programs too."
With a first year program, Behme isn't about to put any limitations on her team, despite traveling for the majority of the season.
"I have always believed anything is possible on any given day," Behme said. "I expect us to be successful, competitive and win games. I would never short change what we have done. I have high expectations and the players have high expectations too."
Leading the Bulldog lacrosse team this year are team captains, senior Molly Sovacool, sophomore Heather Jack and junior Jennifer Smith.
"They balance each other in different ways," Behme said. "On and off the field they bring stability."
The first ever Bulldog team boasts a group of seven seniors, six juniors, five sophomores and five freshmen. With such a young team so new to the sport, the Bulldog coaching staff expects to move players around early in the season.
"We have a handful of ladies that can play in different positions," Behme said. "It depends on how each player develops and who we are playing."
The seven seniors are Stefani Jericoff, Lorileigh Chung, Kristin Hoska, Aja Scheuber, Molly Sovacool, Andrea Alires and Chelsea Davis. Scheuber played softball for the Fresno State the last two years and Alires and Davis were members of the Fresno State women's soccer team.
Behme calls Scheuber a versatile player who can play on either end of the field while Alires, Davis and Sovacool are expected to play in a similar role in the midfield. Chung will play as a low attacker while Hoska will play a low attacking position as well as serve as the backup goalkeeper. Jericoff is a player that can play as a defensive midfielder or a low attacking position.
"The whole senior class is well-balanced and they are all doing a fantastic job of leading the underclassmen," Behme said.
Whitney Yano, a former Fresno State women's golfer, Lindsey Voytilla, Jennifer Smith, Amira Ferrell, Krisdina Gehring and Diana Aguilar round out the junior class.
Aguilar will serve as the starting goalkeeper with Gehring in front of her as a low defender. Ferrell and Smith will see time in the midfield. Voytilla and Yano should see time as low attackers. The sophomores are Heather Jack, Emily Erwin, Christina Cabias, Kasandra Martinson and MARSHAI IVERSON.
Cabias, Martinson, Jack and Erwin will play in various positions in the midfield while Iverson will be a key defender for the Bulldogs.
The freshmen class is Allie Zachariades, Callie Seidman, Michelle Rose, Jennifer Rose and Kohl Berry.
Behme says Zachariades has a lot experience playing lacrosse. The Bulldog coach says she is a versatile player that can play any spot on the field.
Michelle Rose, Seidman and Jennifer Rose are expected to play midfield positions while Berry will see time as a defender.
"Join the State - Fresno State!" - The Fresno State Lacrosse team hosts their first ever match on Saturday, February 7 as they take on the Cal Bears at 1:00 pm at Bulldog Stadium. For more information visit gobulldogs.com.
