After earning a post-season berth in its second year of varsity competition last season, the Massachusetts Maritime women’s lacrosse team is looking to build on that success under the tutelage of second-year Head Coach Leslie Bullis this spring.  The Buccaneers return four starters from the 2013 squad and look to use that experience in making another Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference playoff run in 2014.

Here’s a look at how things are shaping up for the 2014 edition of Buccaneer Women’s Lacrosse:

ATTACK/MIDFIELD.  Sophomores Shavonne Boyle (Doylestown, Pa./Archbishop Wood) and Molly Smith (Westwood, Mass./Westwood) anchor Massachusetts Maritime’s attack up front, as Boyle led the Buccaneers in overall scoring with 17 goals and a school-record 15 assists for 32 points while Smith chipped in with a team-leading 23 tallies and four helpers for 27 points.  Senior Hillary Doucette (Manchester, Mass./Manchester-Essex), who collected 29 goals and 30 points in the program’s inaugural varsity campaign in 2012, returns to the lineup to bolster the Bucs’ scoring, while sophomore Janine Prokscha (Washington, Conn./Gunnery Prep) lends additional experience after reaching double digits in the scoring column with 10 goals and 11 points as a rookie last year.  Bullis will also look to sophomore Jenna Breault (Buzzards Bay, Mass./Bourne) and freshmen Brianna Kearney (Sandwich, Mass./Sandwich), Dahlia Seggelin (Sharon, Mass./Sharon), Christina Murphy (Forestdale, Mass./Sandwich), Stephanie O’Connor (Westwood, Mass./Westwood) and Ashley Solari (Sandwich, Mass./Sandwich) for contributions in their respective first seasons with the program.

DEFENSE.  Senior Jenelle Piche (Coventry, R.I./Coventry) anchors Massachusetts Maritime’s defensive unit, as she has recorded 11 ground balls and a pair of caused turnovers in 22 career matches for the Buccaneers.  Bullis will also welcome freshmen Kianna Carpenter (Sagamore Beach, Mass./Bourne), Cassandra Charpentier (New Bedford, Mass./Greater New Bedford Voke), Heather Castro (Taunton, Mass./Bristol-Plymouth) and Sinead McNaboe (Leicester, Mass./St. Peter-Marian) to the defensive corps.

GOAL.  Freshman Melissa Harris (Scituate, Mass./Scituate) takes the reins in the Buccaneer cage as a rookie this spring, as she was a four-sport standout in high school and a member of Massachusetts Maritime’s volleyball squad last fall.

SCHEDULE.  The Buccaneers will take on a 14-match regular season slate, which includes home dates with Salem State, Westfield State and a league playoff re-match with Worcester State in MASCAC action as well as non-league encounters with Wentworth, Becker, Bay Path and Mitchell.  Massachusetts Maritime will travel to Framingham State, Fitchburg State and Bridgewater State in conference play and will additionally head to Nichols, Daniel Webster, Wheelock and Elms for non-league clashes.

The third varsity season of Buccaneer women’s lacrosse begins on Saturday, March 15^th when Massachusetts Maritime hosts Wentworth at Clean Harbors Stadium beginning at 6:00 p.m. EDT.