Newburgh, N.Y. – The Mount Saint Mary College Women's Lacrosse teams plays the first of six straight home games to being the 2018 season on Sunday when it welcomes SUNY Potsdam to the Kaplan Field for a 1:00 p.m. draw. Live Stats will be available for those who cannot attend the season opener.
 
At A Glance: Mount Saint Mary finished the 2017 season with a 7-8 overall record and a 5-3 mark in league play, hosting and winning a game in the Skyline Conference Championship for the first time in program history. The Knights topped Sage 16-14 in the First Round before falling to eventual conference champion Farmingdale State in the Semifinals.
 
The Knights will be tasked with replacing the program's all-time leader in goals, assists and points in Katie Gattoni, but return two of its top four goal producers from the 2017 season. Senior Christina Ryan (Franklin Square, N.Y.) potted 18 goals in 2017, while sophomore Kayla Gilligan (Amityville, N.Y.) put away 16 goals in her freshman season.
 
Senior Morgan Cordes (Sound Beach, N.Y.) anchors the Mount Saint Mary defense and is coming off a 2017 season that saw her win 32 draw controls, scoop 29 groundballs and cause 22 turnovers.
 
Attack: Gilligan and Olivia Green (Ballston Lake, N.Y.) are the lone returners among the position group, with Gilligan finishing the 2017 season with 17 points and added three groundballs, four draw controls and a caused turnover. Green contributed seven goals, eight points, three groundballs and three draw controls a season ago.
 
Newcomers Providence Gilkey (Shirley, N.Y.) and Alyssa DiMare (Staten Island, N.Y.) will look to step in from the outset and support the scoring attack in 2018.
 
Midfield: A talented midfield corps headlined by Ryan also returns Allison Dionne (Burlington, Conn.), Chelsea Henke (Pawling, N.Y.), Meghan Cumming (Massapequa Park, N.Y.), Courtney Condron (Franklin square, N.Y.) and Maggie Pedersen (Glasco, N.Y.) who will also see time on defense. Ryan finished her junior season with 23 points and added 15 groundballs and 11 caused turnovers.
 
Pedersen rounded out her sophomore campaign with seven points, adding 27 groundballs, 10 caused turnovers and six draw controls. Henke started 11 games for the Knights in 2017, picking up 28 groundballs and winning 15 draw controls with Cumming assisting on two goals and picking up 15 groundballs. Condron contributed 12 groundballs in 2017 with Dionne scooping 18 groundballs and causing six turnovers.
 
A talented group of newcomers for the 2018 season includes Nicole Cervone (Shirley, N.Y.), Morgan Pavlik (Monroe, Conn.), Megan Sherlock (Staten Island, N.Y.), Liz Halpin (LaGrangeville, N.Y.) and Brynn Mulcahy (Wantagh, N.Y.).
 
Defense: A pair of newcomers along with Cordes and Pedersen will look to hold the opposition at bay in 2018. In addition to her defensive prowess, Cordes added six goals and seven points last season on her way to being named Second Team All-Skyline Conference.
 
Newcomers Julissa Revilla (Carmel, N.Y.) and Hope Blanc (Wantagh, N.Y.) will join the defensive corps for the 2018 campaign.
 
Goalie: Junior Amanda Picillo (Valley Stream, N.Y.) is coming off a 2017 that saw her earn Second Team All-Skyline Conference recognition. She started all 15 games in 2017, making 125 saves and posting a .460 save percentage. She will be joined in the cage by freshman Jackie Finkel (Warwick, N.Y.) in 2018.
 
A Look At The Bears: SUNY Potsdam opens the 2018 season on Saturday at King's before making a stop in Newburgh Sunday afternoon. The Bears finished the 2017 season at 3-12 overall and went winless in the SUNYAC.
 
What's Next: The Knights play the second game of its season opening six game home stand on March 8 when it plays host to Husson. Opening draw is set for 5:30 p.m.