Senior Jenny Grossmann is projected to transition to a midfielder role. She's one of the Scots' top returning offensive players, and is coming off a season in which she scored 32 goals.

The College of Wooster women's lacrosse team turned in one of its most successful seasons in program history in 2019, with the Fighting Scots starting out 10-0 en route to a school-record 16 wins (16-2). While there's a good mix of new and returning talent on the 2020 squad, there's plenty of shoes to fill, as seven starters graduated last spring.

"We have a little bit of youth, and we're just young in position," said veteran head coach Elizabeth Ford. "You may be a junior, but you're new to being a full-time player. (The youth) is going to be our biggest overcoming obstacle this season. We have some great kids that are back who had a lot of depth to their game last year. I think we have some unsung players from the last couple of years. They did their damage, but just haven't been noticed. They'll have their opportunity to be a little bit more productive full-time. A lot of those things are coming together for us (now that we're in the preseason)."

Wooster's balance is one of the primary keys to the team's success in recent years, and Ford's "hoping for the balance" to continue this year. The Scots have had at least four 20-goal scorers in four of the last five years, headlined by eight in 2019, when Wooster finished with the fifth-highest scoring offense in NCAA Div. III.

"Any time we're doing anything with attacking, we hope and push for the balance," said Ford. "We might see some people with a little bit higher numbers, but that's just because of their experience overall. I think we're going to see some nice numbers through and through. There are some kids who did their damage coming off the bench or depending on how we were running out of the box (who are now in featured roles). I think we're going to see some new names be productive and some other names probably continue to be mentioned."

Junior Alexa Mellis is the Scots' top returning offensive player. The second-team All-North Coast Athletic Conference selection ranked fourth in the NCAC in goals (53) and points (78) last season. Junior captain Ashley Boersma (41 goals, 16 assists) and senior captain Jenny Grossmann (32 goals, 19 assists) are the other top returnees on offense, while juniors Caitlyn O'Connor (26 goals, 6 assists) and Sydney Schuster (9 goals, 5 assists) are among those who could very well be among the newer names in featured offensive roles.

Wooster's midfield will have a new look in 2020, with Boersma and Grossmann possibly projected to transition into key roles there, per Ford. That should provide a steady veteran presence to build around, while the likes of juniors Miura Wiley and Katie Harvey are among the other returnees Ford's looking at as strong contributors.

"We're definitely testing out a bunch of players on the draw," summed up Ford. "Depending on the ranking of that will depend on how our midfield looks. That could change game-to-game depending on who is having a stronger time there. It's something we've done the last couple of years."

Similar to the midfield, Wooster's defense will have a plethora of new faces. There are two constants back in junior captain Katie Shideler and junior Lauryn Hill, who each started 17 games as part of a defensive unit that finished 15th nationally in goals allowed per game.

"We have a strong anchor with Katie," said Ford. "We're still working on a full unit in front of her. There are some people who can fill the roles. We're just trying to find the right unit that's going to be productive overall. We have some nice prospects that we're excited about."

Behind Hill, junior Sabina Skolnick and senior captain Emma Hambright are the most experienced returnees among the defenders, while sophomore Sydney Clifton, sophomore Tabitha Skornik-Hayes, and junior Claire Truscott return in the backfield. Sophomore 'keeper Caroline Dent played well during her time in goal as a rookie and gives the Scots plenty of depth at that position.

Wooster's roster is rounded out by seven newcomers. They are first-years Clare Leithauser, Vera Logan, Jill Murray, Hannah Shaw, Britta Treu, and Anna Truong, and sophomore Maya McDonald.

Wooster's season opens on Saturday, February 29 when the Scots play at Baldwin Wallace University at 1 p.m. The Scots' home opener in Sunday, February 1 against Transylvania University at noon.