Spring Sports Previews: Madison Girls Lacrosse

The Madison High School girls lacrosse team is taking a big step in 2010, leaving behind Dodger dominance in the now-defunct Northern Hills Conference for the rugged new Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference.

It would be a daunting task for any team to play a schedule featuring two of the eight state sectional champions from last season, along with Morris County powers Chatham and Mendham.

But if there were any team equipped to take on the task, it would be Madison.

"We've got a very strong core," said eighth-year Madison head coach Carole Rawding. "The girls are going to have to raise their level of play. They'll increase their intensity, and that will improve their game."

Madison returns eight key players from last year's team, including a talented senior class of six that combined for 146 of the Dodgers' 271 goals last year. Those seniors have known plenty of success, taking home three NHC titles and winning a game in each of the previous two NJSIAA tournaments.

"Our seniors have a clear vision of what they want," Rawding said. "They're working hard, giving all they can, and it's showing itself early on. They're ready to go, and they don't want to play with anyone who's not."

The Dodgers finished the 2009 campaign 16-4 and swept through the NHC fairly easily–only three of those 16 wins came by fewer than nine goals.

Madison fell short in the Morris County tournament, losing in the semifinals to top-seeded Mendham. Then, in the state tournament, Madison cruised past Monsignor Donovan only to drop a 9-8 heartbreaker to fourth-seeded Oak Knoll.

"If that game had been a minute longer, we would have won it," Rawding said.

One year later, a veteran crew will have a shot to reach Rawding's primary goal–to move the Dodgers further into the postseason.

To do that, the Dodgers' offensive production will have to maintain its torrid pace from 2009. Madison scored fewer than 10 goals just four times last season, but they were 0-4 in those games.

Rawding returns her two leading scorers, Ali and Evan Foulsham–senior twin sisters who will both continue their lacrosse careers at Penn State next season.

Ali (56 goals, 12 assists) and Evan (42 goals, 15 assists) figure to provide scoring punch for the Dodgers, who averaged 13 goals per game last year. But, including the Foulshams, six of Madison's top seven scorers return.

Senior Kathy Matthews (29 goals), juniors Emily Rutland (28 goals) and Alli Helwig (25 goals) and senior Chelsea Davies (16 goals) will all be expected to contribute to the Madison attack.

"We're hoping they'll be able to step up," Rawding said. "We've been good, but we haven't been the strongest in Morris County. We're going to have to work hard to get beyond some of these other teams."

On the defensive side, Rawding expects a great deal from junior goalie Shannon Sweeney. Mostly a backup last season, Sweeney stopped 47 of the 72 shots she faced (65 percent) in 14 games.

"Shannon came up big at the end of the year for us," Rawding said. "She made some big saves and we're excited that she's going to be our starter."

Aiding Sweeney in keeping opponents off the board will be veteran defenders Rachel Misko and Lexi Greene, as well as junior Cecelia Matthews, who saw playing time as a freshman but missed last season with an injury.

Misko and Greene were key cogs in a defense that allowed fewer than five goals per game in NHC play last year.

Though they faltered at times–allowing 35 combined goals to Moorestown and Mendham, the top two teams in New Jersey according to one computer ranking - a similar defensive effort should keep Madison afloat in the more competitive NJAC.

"We've been working hard on defense in the preseason," Rawding said. "They have excellent skills, and they're going to have to stop some of the strong attacks against us."

Sophomores Siobhan McCulloch, Liz Lehmann and Winnie Caetta will be called on to reinforce Madison's defensive setup.

Assisting Rawding on the sideline will be a trio of assistants: Crysti Foote, an All-American both in high school and at Notre Dame University, a two-time member of the Canadian World Cup team, and a former assistant at Drew University; Megan Anderson, former head coach at Morristown High School, and goalie coach Kyle Stratton.

Madison opens the season with a pair of road games against Morris Catholic (Thursday) and Morristown-Beard (April 5) before the home opener April 9 against St. Elizabeth.