LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The No. 16 Lock Haven University lacrosse team will open up the 2017 season at home on Tuesday, March 7 at 4 p.m. vs. Chestnut Hill College on Charlotte E. Smith Field.
 
Nationally Ranked:
The International Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA ) and the Nike/US Lacrosse poll both have Lock Haven picked inside of the top-20. The IWLCA poll lists LHU as the No. 16 team in the Nation behind Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) rivals West Chester, Mercyhurst and IUP. The Nike/US Lacrosse poll tabbed the Bald Eagles as the No. 15 team in the country, once again behind West Chester, Mercyhurst and IUP.
 
PSAC preseason poll:
The nationally-ranked Bald Eagles were selected fourth in the PSAC preseason poll and received one first-place vote.
 
West Chester was picked first in the preseason poll, receiving eight of the 13 possible first-place votes. Mercyhurst grabbed the second place spot while receiving three first-place votes and IUP was tabbed third, receiving one first-place vote.
 
The Bald Eagles will hit the road to face IUP (Friday, April 7), but will host West Chester (Wednesday, April 12) and Mercyhurst (Saturday, April 29) to wrap-up the regular season.
 
2016 Season:
For the first time in two years LHU's season didn't end in the DII National Championship game, but it did serve as an important year for young players to get experience under their belts. The Bald Eagles fell in the PSAC semifinals to host Mercyhurst, 16-6.
 
In Lindsay Reese's first season as head coach at her alma mater she guided LHU to a 14-5 season going 8-4 in the PSAC. The Haven took a Spring Break trip to Colorado Springs, Colorado where they had the opportunity to play three games, going 3-0, against teams they normally wouldn't have a chance to play. LHU knocked off Colorado State-Pueblo, Fort Lewis and Regis during their time in Colorado.
 
"Fresh" five:
Lock Haven welcomes five new freshmen for the 2017 season. Three of the newcomers will be on the defensive side of the ball. Jenna Wismer, Eden Fletcher and Allison Barnes look to add depth to the Bald Eagle defense. Braxtin Reddinger and Loren Librizzi will join the midfield for LHU. The class of 2020 features three players from Pennsylvania and two from New York.
 
Returning Fire Power:
In 2016 The Haven had four players with 20-plus goals, Rachel Engler, in her first season as a Bald Eagle, had 61 goals, Alex O'Herrick finished with 26 goals while both Dana Laulis and Ashley Gochenaur racked up 20 goals each. In 2015 O'Herrick had 16 goals, Laulis had three goals and Gochenaur finished with two goals. During the 2016 season Hayley Killian contributed 39 assists after finishing 2015 with just five assists.
 
Killian was able to help Shannon Bissnette spread the ball for the LHU offense, in 2015 Bissnette had 52 assists, but in 2016 had 46. The two feeders combined for 85 of the team's 107 assists. Bissnette, a three-year starter, has racked up 131 assists which is good for fourth all time behind three two-time All-Americans in Jenna Richter (147), Chelsea Borrino (173) and Kayleigh Johnson (184). The Haven also returns Hannah Houde, a redshirt-senior goalie who started in all 19 games last season for LHU. Houde recorded 126 saves and an 8.46 GAA while carrying a 14-5 record for the Bald Eagles.
 
The 2017 campaign:
The Bald Eagles open the 2017 season at home against Chestnut Hill University on Tuesday March 7 at 4 p.m. On top of facing a difficult PSAC slate that includes games against four ranked opponents LHU also will face two ranked non-conference teams. West Chester, Mercyhurst, IUP and East Stroudsburg are ranked No. 7, No. 10, No. 14 and No. 19 by the IWLCA while Lindenwood University and Queens University are ranked No. 5 and No. 9, respectively. The Bald Eagles are 3-0 all-time against Lindenwood including two victories in the NCAA DII National Semifinal in 2014 and 2015. The other victory came in an 8-5 route in the 2015 regular season when Lindenwood made the trip from St. Charles, Missouri to Lock Haven.