Hofstra and James Madison Favored in 2021 CAA Women's Lacrosse
RICHMOND, Va. (Feb. 3, 2021) – Hofstra and James Madison were unanimous picks to win their respective divisions in the 2021 CAA women's lacrosse race according to a vote of the league's seven head coaches.
Hofstra collected 22 points to sit atop the North Division, followed by Towson in second place with 17 points, Drexel in third and Delaware in fourth. In the South Division, James Madison gathered 16 points and was followed by Elon in second place and William & Mary in third. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team in the poll.
The conference is using a divisional format this season to reduce travel and with the health, safety and well-being of coaches and student-athletes in mind.
Alyssa Parrella, Hofstra's senior attacker, was selected as the CAA Preseason Player of the Year for the second consecutive season after winning the honors before the shorted 2020 season. She was also named to Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association Preseason All-American Third Team for the second straight season. Parrella, the 2019 CAA Player of the Year, was off to another hot start last season in which she recorded 27 goals and four assists in just seven games. Coming into the 2021 season, Parrella sits second all-time in CAA history in goals scored and total points. Her 216 goals are just five shy of the current mark while she trails the league record by 33 points with 292 points credited in her career.
In 2019 Hofstra made it to the CAA Championship game in their first tournament appearance since 2013. The Pride will look to make it back again this year with solid contributions from all levels as depicted by Hofstra's five preseason All-CAA honorees: Parrella on the attack,
Alexa Mattera playing midfield,
Darice Smith and
Sabrina Cristodero on defense and
Jess Smith in goal. Mattera scored 16 goals and collected 13 ground balls in seven games last spring. Smith controlled 46 draws, to lead the CAA, and caused 10 turnovers, while Cristodero scored two goals, collected four ground balls, caused six turnovers and controlled 22 draws. Smith led the CAA last spring in both saves (76) and saves per game (10.86).
James Madison comes into 2021 having captured the last three CAA Championships. The Dukes open the season ranked #13 in the Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Preseason Top 20 and #10 in the IWLCA Division I Preseason Poll. The Dukes play a stifling brand of defense led by their preseason All-CAA honorees:
Molly Dougherty,
Emma Johnson and
Rachel Matey. Between the pipes, Dougherty, the 2019 CAA Goalkeeper of the year, was in form as usual last season leading the CAA with a save percentage of .500 and allowing 8.57 goals against on average. Johnson caused 11 turnovers to rank fourth in the CAA while her teammate Matey caused 10 to rank fifth. Matey also controlled 27 draws, the fourth-best in the conference. All three Dukes were IWLCA Preseason All-American honorable mention.
Towson has been a contender in the CAA for over a decade and there are no signs that will change this season. All-CAA honoree
Sami Chenoweth has caused more turnovers in her career than any other athlete in CAA history. In six games last season she caused 14 turnovers to bring her career mark to 150, breaking the previous league record. Chenoweth was recently named a Third Team Preseason All-American by the IWLCA.
Blair Pearre earned All-CAA preseason honors after a hot start to her CAA career last season. In six games as a freshman, Pearre scored 14 goals and controlled 20 draws, both ranked inside the top 10 in the conference last season.
Shelby Stack rounds out the Tigers attack as the graduate student led Towson with 17 points last season scoring 13 goals and recording four assists.
Drexel was off to one of the best starts in the CAA last spring before the season was cut short.
Colleen Grady and
Karson Harris received All-CAA preseason honors for the second straight season after leading the Dragons offensively in 2020. Harris led the CAA with 33 points and was third with 25 goals in seven contests last season. While Grady was right behind her with 32 points including 17 goals and a league-leading, 15 assists.
Lucy Schneidereith joined her teammates in the scoring fun netting 17 goals during the 2020 campaign.
Elon will be looking to reach its fifth consecutive CAA tournament in 2021. The Phoenix will be led offensively by
Mae McGlynn who scored 10 goals and recorded 4 assists in five games last season. Defensively, Elon will look to
Gillian Curran who collected six ground balls and controlled 21 draws last spring.
For William & Mary,
Belle Martire and
Starr Howard will look to pick up where they left off in 2020. Martire scored 28 goals to lead the CAA and totaled 32 points, ranking second in the league. Howard scooped up 11 ground balls and caused 2.00 turnovers per game, which ranked third in the conference.
Delaware returns
Kate Brewster to defend their net. Brewster was second in the CAA last season with 10.20 saves per game and a save percentage of .481 while playing 307 minutes in the goal.
The 2021 Women's Lacrosse Championships will be hosted by James Madison at Sentara Park. The top two teams in each division plus one at-large selection will make up the five-team field. The semifinals will be played Friday, May 7 with the championship game scheduled for Sunday, May 9.
2021 CAA Women's Lacrosse Preseaon Poll
| NORTH |
POINTS |
| 1. Hofstra (6) |
22 |
| 2. Towson (1) |
17 |
| 3. Drexel |
11 |
| 4. Delaware |
7 |
| SOUTH |
POINTS |
| 1. James Madison (6) |
16 |
| 2. Elon (1) |
11 |
| 3. William & Mary |
6 |
CAA Preseason Player of the Year: Alyssa Parrella, Hofstra
2021 Preseason All-CAA Team
| NAME |
SCHOOL |
CLASS |
POSITION |
HOMETOWN |
| Colleen Grady |
Drexel |
Jr. |
Attack |
Glen Ridge, N.J. |
| Belle Martire |
William & Mary |
Jr. |
Attack |
Baltimore, Md. |
| Mae McGlynn |
Elon |
Sr. |
Attack |
Skaneateles, N.Y. |
| Alyssa Parrella |
Hofstra |
Sr. |
Attack |
Miller Place, N.Y. |
| Karson Harris |
Drexel |
Jr. |
Midfield |
Great Mills, Md. |
| Alexa Mattera |
Hofstra |
Gr. |
Midfield |
East Islip, N.Y. |
| Blair Pearre |
Towson |
So. |
Midfield |
Pikesville, Md. |
| Shelby Stack |
Towson |
Gr. |
Midfield |
Syracuse, N.Y. |
| Sami Chenoweth |
Towson |
Gr. |
Defense |
Manchester, Md. |
| Starr Howard |
William & Mary |
Jr. |
Defense |
Rockville, Md. |
| Emma Johnson |
James Madison |
R-Sr. |
Defense |
Laurel, Md. |
| Rachel Matey |
James Madison |
R-So. |
Defense |
Phoenixville, Pa. |
| Darcie Smith |
Hofstra |
Gr. |
Defense |
Wantagh, N.Y. |
| Molly Dougherty |
James Madison |
R-Jr. |
Goalkeeper |
Alexandria, Va. |
Honorable Mention: Kate Brewster, Delaware (Sr., Goalkeeper), Gillian Curran, Elon (Jr., Midfield), Sabrina Cristodero, Hofstra (Sr., Defense), Lucy Schneidereith, Drexel (Sr., Midfield), Jess Smith, Hofstra (Jr., Goalkeeper)