BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The LIU Brooklyn women's lacrosse team is schedule to begin the 2019 competition schedule this Friday, February 8, as the Blackbirds will travel to New Jersey to take on Rutgers at 4 p.m.
FOLLOW LIVE
Friday's game will air on BTN2GO, and fans can also follow live stats courtesy of Rutgers Athletics here.
SEASON PREVIEW
The Blackbirds return nine letter winners from last year's squad, in addition to eight newcomers. Most promisingly, on offense, LIU returns four of the team's top five scorer from last season, and expect a young core to build on what they learned in their first season.
Graduate student Carlie Robinson is the team's most senior leader, and back to lead a young corps of Blackbirds on the front lines. Robinson contributed 14 goals last year, as one of the team's top offensive outputters, and was also one of the team leaders in both ground balls (27) and caused turnovers (13). Junior Bianca Santucci is the other upperclassman back for the Blackbirds on offense; she was the team's second-leading scorer last year, with 28 goals.
LIU also has a strong sophomore class that Hanley hopes will build on a year of collegiate lacrosse.
"We return our top three goal scorers from last year, and with another year under their belt, the sophomore class should be able to contribute greatly to our stat lines overall," head coach Alison Hanley said.
Two of those sophomores are LIU's most recent Northeast Conference honorees: sisters Amanda Masullo and Rachel Masullo. The sisters, who were both named to the NEC All-Rookie team, combined for 57 goals and 23 assists last year, along with over 150 draw controls. Amanda Masullo also earned second team All-NEC honors for the Blackbirds.
Joining the Masullos is sophomore Elise Person, who was one of LIU's strongest scorers, with 16 goals in her first year.
LIU will also have the luxury of two experience goalkeepers leading the defense, as senior Virginia Gibbons and sophomore Sam Kidd are both back, and could share time in net.
"Another interesting area we will be monitoring this season is the competition in net," Hanely said. "Both Virginia and Sam split time last year and we will be eager to see what they each bring as the anchors of our defensive unit."
The Blackbirds will start the season on the road. Friday's game is the first of a five game road swing for the Blackbirds, followed by a contest at La Salle in Philadelphia (Feb. 16), two trips to the Nutmeg State to take on Quinnipiac (Feb. 23) and Hartford (March 2), and a matchup against local rival Manhattan (Feb. 27).
Hanely is also excited to face off against some teams for the first time in her seven seasons.
"We are very much looking forward to some of the new teams in the lineup this year with Quinnipiac, Monmouth, San Diego State and Lafayette," Hanley said. "While we love our rivalries out of conference, having some fresh faces will keep it interesting and help us prepare even more for our NEC slate."
Northeast Conference action begins for the Blackbirds on Friday, April 5, as LIU will travel north to take on Central Connecticut State, followed by Bryant, Sunday, April 7.
SCOUTING THE SCARLET KNIGHTS
Rutgers is a familiar foe for the Blackbirds, especially as the season opens. The two teams faced off in last year's season opener on LIU Field, with the Scarlet Knights taking a 15-4 victory in downtown Brooklyn.
Rutgers finished last year with a 7-10 overall record, and a 1-5 mark in Big Ten Conference play, and returns four of its top seven scorers from that team.
UP NEXT
The Blackbirds will hit the road to take on La Salle, Saturday, February 16 at 1 p.m. in Philadelphia, Pa.