Scots Enter 2025 with Chip on Shoulder

For The College of Wooster women's lacrosse team last season, it was about filling roles with the departure of key players.

This year, it's not so much about filling roles but figuring out where everyone fits.

To that extent, Wooster saw plenty of success in 2024, finishing 11-4 and having its third straight season with double digit wins.

The team also achieved their goal of finishing within the top four of the North Coast Athletic Conference. At 3-3, they were locked in a three-team tie for third place.

Yet, the Scots were the odd team out of the conference tournament.

"I think that stung," head coach Liz Ford said. "We played to get in; no one understood how that happened, and they were expecting to go."

With a chip on their shoulders, Wooster will look to once again subvert expectations after being projected fifth for the second straight year in the 2025 NCAC Women's Lacrosse Preseason Coaches' Poll. Like last year, Denison University leads the pack, receiving all seven first-place votes.

"We're going to talk about how this is where people see us, and how we are going to change that perception," Ford said. "It's definitely going to be part of the conversation as we move forward."

Wooster had six All-NCAC selections a year ago, which were its most since 2021, and they return all but one. 

Lizzie Hardy was a first team selection as a sophomore and earned an IWLCA All-Region second team spot.

Hardy will lead a midfield that will include Kenzie Morris and Sidney O'Rourke, two other All-NCAC selections. Last year, O'Rourke won 83 draw controls, which was the fifth-most in program history.

Meanwhile, Morris is a three-time All-NCAC honoree who will lead an offense that returns plenty of firepower, despite losing two key playmakers in Kenzie Smith and Ciara O'Connor.

Morris finished 2024 with a team-high 50 goals, and her 63 draw controls was third best on the team.

Junior Brynne Snaguski will help fill the void. The All-NCAC honorable mention scored 34 goals and dished out 14 assists, which were both third-best on the team.

Wooster returns 67 percent of their overall scoring for a year ago after totaling 247 goals. Two other returnees who scored over 20 goals last year include Bella Woodbury and Kaitlyn McBride.

Wooster's other first team returnee was Lexi Sarne. Sarne showed consistency, ranking second on the team with 22 caused turnovers and added 30 groundballs, which matched a career-high for the junior.

Sarne will be a part of a senior trio to lead the backfield which includes Bella McCloskey and Ashlyn Casey.

In goal, Audrey Richardson got experience as a first-year with 437 minutes in goal and a save percentage of 40.7. She started five games and held a 3-2 record, including a 2-2 mark in NCAC play.

"Audrey has made some great strides in her play, so we're pretty excited to see the growth she has made," Ford said. "She continues to put in good, solid work to hone in on the things she feels she can be better with."

Senior Ashley Reynolds, who split time in goal with Richardson last season, steps away but wanted to stay committed to the program as student manager.

Ford, who enters her 20th season at the helm of the Fighting Scots, notes various newcomers could see action. With certain roles in flux, a main goal between now and the season opener will be to figure out who's going to be where and what's going to be the team's best look.

"We have kids that have been part of the look, but also kids just shifting into some different roles, whether that be a bigger role for them to fill or a different honed-in role," Ford said. "I think that's that learning curve of where we're going to be.

"I'm looking forward to seeing how we come together as a unit and how others will help support that."

Wooster opens the season at Baldwin Wallace on Feb. 22. They then host Washington & Jefferson in its home opener on Feb. 26 and will open NCAC play April 5 with a trip to Oberlin College.