By: Jake Miller
HARTSVILLE, S.C.- The Coker women's lacrosse team was picked seventh in the South Atlantic Conference preseason poll, the league announced today.
Defending SAC tournament champion Queens is the preseason favorite with eight first place votes. To view the full South Atlantic Conference preseason release, click here.
The Cobras finished last season with an 8-7 record, falling just short of the South Atlantic Conference tournament.
Four Cobras were selected to the All-SAC preseason teams. Senior midfielder Lindsay Ordemann and senior defender Marabeth Durden were selected to the All-SAC first team, while sophomore attack Faith Kent and junior midfielder Claudia Jenkins were selected to the All-SAC second team.
Ordemann played and started in all 15 games for the Cobras this season. She scored seven goals and handed out one assist for a total of eight points. She won 54 draw controls and caused 28 turnovers. Her total of 57 ground balls on the year was second best in the conference. She finished ninth in the nation and second in the conference in ground balls per game with 3.80. Ordemann was voted to the All-SAC second team as a defender.
Durden played and started in all 15 games for the Cobras. She scored seven goals and dished out two assists for a total of nine points. Durden also picked up 35 ground balls, won 42 draw controls and led the conference with 41 caused turnovers. Durden also ranked third in the nation in caused turnovers per game (2.73). Durden was selected to the All-SAC first team as a defender for the second consecutive year.
Kent played and started in all 15 games for the Cobras. In her rookie campaign she found the back of the net 50 times, the fourth-highest goal total in the South Atlantic Conference. She also dished out 15 assists for a total of 65 points, the eighth-highest total in the conference. Kent was tabbed to the All-SAC second team as an attack. She also registered 29 ground balls, 14 draw controls and seven caused turnovers.
Jenkins played in and started all 15 games for the Cobras in 2016. She found the back of the net 33 times and dished out 10 assists for a total of 43 points. She collected 51 ground balls, won 43 draw controls and caused 30 turnovers. Jenkins was tabbed to the All-SAC honorable mention squad, after being voted the Astroturf SAC Offensive Player of the Week for April 25.
Keagins was very clear about her expectations coming in to her first year as full-time head coach.
"A team goal for us is to make the South Atlantic Conference tournament and make an impact there," said Keagins.
Along with the key returners on both sides of the ball, Keagins spoke highly of her incoming freshmen and the roles that they will play.
"They have definitely stepped up and filled some big shoes, and we cannot ask for much more out of them than what they are doing right now," said Keagins.
Anchored by Durden, Ordemann and returing senior defender Kaitlyn Kimball, Coker's defense is a national force to be reckoned with. The Cobras were the NCAA Division II statistical champion in caused turnovers per game, with an average of 14.27. Keagins would like to see that defensive effort translate to more offense this year.
"I want to see them raise the bar on offense this year," said Keagins. "The way our defense played last year and created chances, the offense should be able to catch up nicely and put goals away."
Keagins spoke highly of her freshman goalie in Cassie Williams. Williams steps into a role that Coker is familiar with from last season, where a freshman played every minute between the pipes behind that tenacious defense.
"Stepping into the cage and starting as a freshman, we will definitely have to lean on Cassie to play big," said Keagins. "She is definitely tough enough to handle this role."
The Cobras open their 2017 campaign with three non-conference games in the month of February. The season opens February 11 at Mount Olive, before the Cobras come home on Feb. 16 to host Columbia College. The Cobras conclude the month of February hosting North Greenville on Feb. 25.
March 4 signals the start of conference play when Coker hosts Lenoir-Rhyne. They'll take a short break before welcoming West Virginia Wesleyan for a non-conference game on Mar. 7. A road trip to Brevard (Mar. 11) gets the Navy and Gold back in to conference play, before they play East Stroudsburg on Mar. 14 at home. The Cobras host Newberry on Mar. 18, before starting a three-game road trip to Erskine (Mar. 22), Wingate (Mar. 25) and Catawba (Mar. 27). On April 1, Coker will host Belmont Abbey in the first of three consecutive home games. Tusculum on Apr. 8 and Point University on Apr. 12 finish out the homestand before taking a road trip to Queens on Apr. 15 and to Converse on Apr. 18. The regular season wraps up on April 22 when Coker hosts Lincoln Memorial.
"The end of March into April will be tough because we are playing four games in 10 days, and it is going to be a tough stretch," said Keagins.
To view the full video interview with Head Coach Kate Keagins, click here.
The Cobras open their 2017 season on February 11 at Mount Olive. Opening draw is set for 2:00 p.m.