SUNY Old Westbury women’s lacrosse is coming off the heels of a season that saw them set a new record for wins in a single season en route to advancing to the programs first-ever Skyline Conference Championship appearance. The 2016 campaign saw Old Westbury go 6-12 overall and 4-3 in Skyline play. The Panthers were defeated by reigning conference champion St. Joseph’s (L.I.) in the semifinal-round of the 2016 Skyline Championship, and fifth- year head coach Lauren Schneider is hoping for a longer stay this season. Old Westbury was selected to finish fourth in the 2017 Skyline Conference Preseason Coaches’ Poll (click here for full poll).
Leading the way for Old Westbury will be a trio of upperclassmen captains in senior Sara Bey (Merrick, NY / Sanford H. Calhoun HS), along with junior midfielder Danielle Weir (North Massapequa, NY / St. Dominic HS) and classmate goalie Ashley Gugliuzzo (Oakdale, NY / Connetquot HS).
Bey, who was recognized as a second-team All-Skyline Conference selection, set careers highs in assists (17), points (47), caused turnovers (33) and ground balls (44) a season ago. The three-time All-Skyline Conference honoree finished with 30 goals and 23 draw controls in 18 games played.
Weir had a breakout campaign that saw her lead the team with a career-best 48 draw controls en route to garnering second-team all-conference honors. She also set career highs in goals (37), assists (12), points (49), shots (82) and shots on goal (66) while also becoming the program’s all-time leader with four game-winning goals.
Gugliuzzo, the program’s career-record holder in wins (12), saves (267), save percentage (.388), game played (32) and minutes (1909), is slated to start to goalkeeper. She will be backed up by junior Olivia O’Keefe (Lindenhurst, NY / St. John the Baptist HS), who appeared in two games in 2016.
In conjunction with the trio of captains, sophomore midfielder Natasha Treuman (Merrick, NY / Sanford H. Calhoun HS) will look to pick up right where she left off after setting program records with 61 goals and 69 points in 2016. For her efforts, Treuman was voted as the Skyline Conference Co-Rookie of the Year. In just her first game played (Mar. 8, 2016), she set a program record with 10 goals and 11 points in the season-opening win at Bard College.
Four additional juniors in attacker Halle Johnson (Lakeview, NY / Malverne HS), midfielder Taylor Guarneri(Huntington, NY / Cold Spring Harbor HS), and defenders LaChaye Allen (Freeport, NY / Freeport HS) andJessica Tuckruskye (Baldwin, NY / Holy Trinity HS) will also be called upon to fill a bigger role, given the sizeable void left by the 2016 graduating class of three student-athletes.
Johnson is coming off a season that resulted in an increase in production (17 starts) after finishing the campaign with career highs in goals (23), game-winning goals (2), assists (8), points (31), shots (59), ground balls (24), draw controls (11) and caused turnovers (10).
Guarneri, just like Johnson, saw an increase in playing time (18 games), and in return paid huge dividends by way of totaling career bests in goals (15), assists (6), points (21), shots (35), ground balls (36), draw controls (11) and caused turnovers (18).
Allen, a Division II transfer from St. Thomas Aquinas College in 2016, started all 18 games in her first season at Old Westbury to produce two assists, 29 ground balls and 17 caused turnovers.
Tuckruskye also contributed to the defensive efforts in 16 games (12 starts), where she totaled 15 ground balls and caused 10 turnovers in her first season.
Sophomore Roseann Cox (West Hempstead, NY / West Hempstead HS) played in 13 games (five starts) in 2016, and will look to contribute to a talented group of attackers. Classmate Erika Fonseca (Glen Cove, NY / Glen Cove HS) appeared in two games last season and will add depth to the defensive unit.
The Panthers will be boosted by the return of senior attacker Imani Blake (Queens, NY / Queens High School of Teachings) and junior defender Edania Martinez (Brentwood, NY / Brentwood HS), both of whom sat out the 2016 season.
Along with the return of Blake and Martinez, the Panthers will also be welcoming two at the attack position in senior Sam Rubi (Brentwood, NY / Brentwood HS) and freshman Rachel Phillips (Riverhead, NY / Riverhead HS), along with freshmen defenders in Pat Giogaia (Great Neck, NY / Great Neck South HS) and Natalia Ocampo (Elmont, NY / Sewanhaka HS).
Old Westbury opens the 2017 slate on Feb. 25 when they travel to Arcadia University for a non-conference showdown. The Panthers return home March 4 for non-league action against Kean University before heading down to Hilton Head, South Carolina for games against Eastern Connecticut State University (Mar. 13) and Albright College (Mar. 15).
In total, Old Westbury will play seven of its 17-game regular-season schedule in front of its home fans, while four are slated for Skyline Conference matchups.
The Panthers will host Purchase College, United States Merchant Marine Academy, College of Mount Saint Vincent and Farmingdale State College as part of the league schedule. Old Westbury will hit the road for conference tilts at St. Joseph’s College (L.I.), Mount Saint Mary College, The Sage Colleges and SUNY Maritime.
Old Westbury’s quest for a second Skyline Conference Championship appearance will begin May 2.
