Sporting a very young squad, the 2005 University of Mary Washington women's lacrosse team won seven games, and was ranked nationally throughout the season, peaking at eleventh in the nation. The Eagles, who had just two seniors on its roster, again played one of the most difficult schedules in the nation, playing seven games against teams ranked in the top ten nationally.
UMW began the season very strongly, winning five of its first six games, including an impressive 14-5 win over Capital Athletic Conference foe Catholic University over Spring Break in West Palm Beach, FLA. The Eagles also posted decisive wins over Sweet Briar College, Neumann College, Virginia Wesleyan College, and Roanoke College.
After a streak of three losses to nationally ranked opponents, the Eagles won two of three games, with wins over Marymount University and Christopher Newport University.
The Eagles will look to bolster a solid group of returnees with a talented recruiting class. Among the returnees looked upon to make an impact offensively are juniors Jackie Rose (24 goals, seven assists in '05), Kaitlyn Barker (28 goals, six assists), Meaghan O' Leary (12 goals, 13 assists), and sophomore Caitlin Erickson (14 goals, five assists).
The attack will need to fill the void left by the graduation of Britt Gottlieb and Jamie Rostan, with Karen Pickering looking to pick up the scoring slack. The midfield returns several young players that will need to adapt to the collegiate game, and better serve as a link between the offense and defense. Defensively, the Eagles are looking to shore up a group that allowed ten goals or more six times in 2005. Sophomore Sarah Finney turned in an outstanding freshman campaign in 2005, collecting 65 ground balls and causing 49 turnovers. Along with Liz Russell (44 gb, 40 ct) and Caitlin O'Leary (57 gb, 31 ct), Finney forms a strength of the team protecting the goal. Sophomore Meredith Deitrick made 125 saves with a 9.14 GAA in her freshman season, and will be pushed by several top recruits for the starting job in 2006.
A solid group returns for 2006, but, as is the case every season, newcomers will immediately push for playing time and starting roles. With a very challenging schedule against some of the top teams in the South region, the Eagles will rely on depth and skill to bounce back from a .500 season in 2005 (in which they still won seven contests) and return to the glory that has defined the program over the past seven years.