Women's Lacrosse season preview: Falcons ready to get outside and play

MEQUON, Wis. -- Concordia Wisconsin's Women's Lacrosse roster will feature many new faces, but those returning have great experience and leadership to push the team to another deep run into the postseason. The Falcons were chosen third in the MWLC Preseason Poll and begin the 2019 season on Thursday at Beloit with the draw control set for 4:30 pm.

CUWFalcons.com sat down with head coach Emily Schoessow to get her thoughts on the upcoming season.

What are the goals and expectations for this year's team?

The same goals as every year, which includes making the tournament. We want to be in the MWLC Tournament Championship and win it again. Another goal we have is to win an NCAA Tournament and obviously, that is something we haven't done yet. We have made it to that level a few times, but haven't won a game there.

You have five road games and three at home during the month of March. What challenges will the team face with this schedule?

We have more road games because of our spring break trip. We always like to go somewhere to play teams we don't normally get to and to get out of the region and gain some experience against the competition we never get to see. It is a challenge and we prepare to play our best every day, so it doesn't matter to me if we are home or away. Many of our away games are much closer than they used to be, so the travel doesn't wear us down like it used to.

Why Oregon this year for your spring break trip?

It is something different. We have done Florida, Texas, South Carolina, etc. Women's lacrosse has been developing and emerging in the western part of the country over the last couple of years. We just wanted to go out there and play some strong games in that region.

The Falcons were chosen third in the MWLC Preseason Poll. Do you use that as motivation with your team?

I think based on last year's results from the MWLC Tournament, those top three teams were picked to be in the top three of the preseason poll. The top teams in the league are all so close and if you look at the results at the end of the last year, they were all one-goal games. I think the preseason is about right and the top teams in the league are pretty interchangeable.

The roster has five returning players, with three seniors. How much are you going to rely on senior leadership this season?

A lot. They have been through the wins and losses, and the last three years have experienced very different team dynamics in different seasons. I think they are very prepared for anything that comes at us, as far as personalities, skill level and building the team to where we need it to be. All three are confident in their leadership skills and they will be able to do a great job.

Of the newcomers on the roster, who are players fans should watch for?

I think we are excited to have two strong options at the goalkeeper position who can do some different things. We will see what they can do each week and that is something we are excited about. I think that Megan McPike and her grit, hard work and determination on the field are going to be a huge factor for us. Karlee McCanna is showing a lot of confidence and awareness on defense and is going to be an important piece for us. She is going to fit right in with the experienced defenders we have and as a coaching staff we are excited to see what all of our newcomers can do for us this season.

Will this team be more focused on defense or offense?

It is hard to say because we have a lot of players with interchangeable roles. Looking at things right now before we have even started, it appears we will be a strong defensive team. A lot of our defenders have the ability, however, to move into the attack if we need that from them. Because of that, I hope we have a strong midfield presence before of the skill set our defenders have.

Mother Nature has not been kind to your team. How difficult has it been not being able to get outside and practice much?

It has been really tough. We haven't had very full field practices, so have been pushing cardio conditioning needs to be done outside of practice on their own. If our players don't feel like they are conditioned enough that is something that has to be done after practice, because haven't been able to get up and down the field like we want. We have tried to get outside as often as possible to see the field and understand our spacing and be prepared for a full game.