The 2009 University of Redlands women’s lacrosse team competed against a challenging schedule of Division III opponents that included neighbors from down the road as well as institutions from far away. With hard work and talent, the Bulldogs mustered a 6-8 record and established another layer in the foundation of success for the future of the program.

Competing as a non-conference sport, the Bulldog women’s lacrosse team opened the 2009 season with a resounding win over Whittier College by a score of 18-11. Sophomore midfielder Christy Smith (St. Louis Park, MN) initiated the scoring in the second minute of action and connected off of a free-position shot. Down 1-2, Redlands’ offense then exploded with four consecutive goals, including two in a row by senior midfielder Liza Gray (Centennial, CO). The eventual game-winner came at 18:34 remaining in the second half as senior midfielder Lauren Matta (Holyoke, MA) put away her third goal in a five-minute span.

In the next outing, Smith netted a season-best eight goals, including five in the second half, as the Redlands women’s lacrosse team survived a scare against Pomona-Pitzer Colleges by a score of 16-15. Smith’s goal tally equaled the program’s second-highest total in a single game, matching her performance from last season against Virginia Wesleyan University.

The Bulldogs then suffered a three-game skid, falling to regional rivals Colorado College, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges, and the University of Puget Sound (WA), before rebounding with an exciting 14-11 win over visiting Linfield College (OR). Redlands benefitted from a more balanced attack that included nine different goal-scorers. Junior Diana Frey (Silver Spring, MD) initiated the scoring just 16 seconds into the game, providing the second-fastest Redlands goal in program history. Smith led the team with four scores while junior attack player Mary Shepherd (Dallas, TX) and junior midfielder Haley Kern (Portland, OR) each supplied two goals.

This victory initiated the longest win streak of the season as the Maroon and Gray defeated Birmingham Southern College (AL) and Oberlin College (OH) in its subsequent games.

Against the Panthers of BSC, the Bulldogs rode the outstanding play of senior midfielder Lauren Matta (Holyoke, MA) en route to a 14-11 win. Matta posted a career game with six goals on just nine shots, along with four draw controls, four ground balls, and three caused turnovers. After facing an early four-goal deficit, the women’s lacrosse team rallied to tie the score with 3:01 remaining in the first half. Down by one to start the second period, the Bulldogs erupted with five consecutive goals to take a four-goal lead. Despite a late push by the Panthers, Redlands held on for the 14-11 victory.

The Bulldogs tied the program record for goals in a single game during their 21-13 dismantling of Oberlin. Redlands took control early and entered the break with a 9-4 lead. Eight different players found the back of the net in the second period alone, resulting in an offensive explosion of 12 goals en route to the victory.

After a tough loss to SUNY Potsdam, the Maroon and Gray celebrated its seniors with another scoring outbreak in a 21-11 win against Pomona-Pitzer during the final home game of the season. This once again tied the school’s record for goals in a game with Smith leading the charge with six and Shepherd providing her season-best of five. The Sagehens scored first, just 30 seconds into the game. However, this was the only lead that Pomona-Pitzer would enjoy as Redlands rattled off 10 unanswered goals within the next 11 minutes.

Redlands made the trek to the East Coast and faced difficult competition in national contenders Williams College (MA) and MIT. The Bulldogs returned home to face regional rival Whittier College in an intense duel that required overtime to settle the score. Despite sophomore Katrina Hostak’s (Maple Valley, WA) 20-save performance, which ranks second all-time at Redlands, the women suffered a heartbreaking 12-14 loss to the Poets.

The Bulldogs’ season came to a close with an 8-19 decision to familiar foe Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.

Beyond the wins and losses, the women’s lacrosse team enjoyed some outstanding individual achievements throughout the season. Smith extended her scoring streak to 25 games dating back to March 12, 2008. During the 2009 season, she scored two or more goals in all but one game. In addition, she led the Bulldogs in every statistical category for field players. In 13 games played, she tallied 48 goals and 13 assists for 61 points. She picked up 49 ground balls and captured 54 draw controls. With her stellar defense, she forced opponents to make 22 turnovers. For her efforts, she landed on the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association’s (IWLCA)/US Lacrosse All-West Region First Team.

Highlighting an impressive four-year career with the Bulldogs, Matta now owns career program records in ground balls (198) and draw controls (169) and also ranks second all-time in goals (100). This past season, Matta produced the team’s second-highest totals in goals (27), points (30) and draw controls (53) while also adding three assists, 30 ground balls and 13 caused turnovers.

Nationally, Smith landed 24th in draw controls per game at 4.15 while Matta finished 27th at 4.08. Smith also ranked 36th in ground balls per game at 3.77 and ended among the top 100 in Division III for goals per game (52nd) and caused turnovers (73rd).

Although the loss of seniors Matta, Gray, defender Amy Gulbranson (Bainbridge Island, WA), midfielder Ali Chope (San Francisco, CA), defender Julia Chope (San Francisco, CA) and attack player Lisa O’Kane (San Diego, CA) will be difficult, the Bulldogs return a talented and experienced crew of competitors that possess the skills and determination to build upon the challenges and rewards of the 2009 campaign. With continued hard work and guidance from Head Coach Suzette Soboti, the Redlands women’s lacrosse team promises to continue leaving its mark. In addition, the program welcomes the new facet of competing as a conference sport with familiar foes Occidental College, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, Pomona-Pitzer, and Whittier during the2010 season.