MADISON, N.J. (Feb. 20, 2015) – Last season's edition of the Drew University women's lacrosse team got a strong taste of postseason play, and now with one more year's worth of maturity, the influx of unique and physical freshmen, and a first place vote in the Landmark Conference preseason poll, the 2015 squad will look to develop their palate for the postseason this spring.

Last year's Rangers (11-7, 4-2), after dropping their Landmark Conference semifinals game, salvaged a victory on the road in the first round of the Eastern College Athletic Conference Championships. They would ultimately fall to top-seeded Lebanon Valley College in the semifinals.

This year will be a test of what one-year's worth of time and practice can accomplish in building on that playoff run. In their final year in Blue and Green, senior midfielder Krysta Cento and senior attacker Nikki Kleiman make up two-thirds of the captain group. The duo is coming off respective career years. Cento's season saw her break a 10-year Drew record with 55 assists on the year (11^th in NCAA Division III). Kleiman led the conference in goals with 68 and notched 101 total points. Head coach Julia Steier sees and is impressed by the pair's on-field compatibility.

"Krysta and Nikki have a radar on each other and always knows where the other is," said the third-year head coach. "Last year they had each other, but also needed to incorporate younger players in the system."

The sophomores have gotten acclimated to Drew's playing climate and the seniors won't have to take the brunt of the leadership responsibilities. In addition, the class of seven freshmen is inclined to make an immediate impact in Madison. "The maturity and talent shown by the new players have made it easy to incorporate them into our system," Steier said. "We have found a nice rhythm."

Like last year, the freshman class comes with plenty to offer. Freshman midfielder and California-native Maddie Spiess is a former Marin County Athletic League Player of the Year. It is her enduring explosiveness that has grabbed Steier's attention. Speiss projects to be an "immediate impact player" with a vast array of abilities.

"Her athleticism in the midfield has been more than impressive," Steier said. "She can run for days; she's athletic, strong, resilient, and she is a workhorse."

Drew has plenty to protect Cento and Kleiman and they are anything but overly reliant on those strengths. "If you try and shut down Krysta, you've got Morgan Mason doing some great things," Steier suggested.

A sophomore midfielder, Mason was named 2012 High School Offensive Player of the Year out of Cranford. She tallied 26 goals in her freshman campaign at Drew, finishing third on the team. Her role will expand this season, but it doesn't stop there, as Steier says, "You try and shut down Morgan and you've got Anna Fiorini making some moves."

A sophomore, Fiorini finished fifth on the team in points last year with 28 at the attacking position. She will compliment Kleiman at the front of the offense, making for an intimidating and deep unit at the position.

Sophomore goalkeeper Gianna Minogue will be the Rangers' leading presence in the crease one year after a breakout freshman campaign. Minogue was one of the most consistent keepers, statistically, in the Landmark Conference, leading the league in goals-against average with 8.51 and ranking third in save percentage at .444.

Former Ranger and Class of '14 grad Kaitlyn Dalziel also returns to Madison in 2015, this time on the sidelines as an assistant coach. Dalziel was the Rangers' anchor on their defensive unit during her four years, including a Landmark All-Conference Second Team and All-Region Second Team campaign in 2013. Dalziel has made a seemless transition to coaching and has an eye for off-the-ball situations in the defensive end. She has been quick to make the necessary adjustments to improve overall team defense.

"Her presence has been invaluable this season, just as it has been since she was a freshman at Drew," Steier said. "She makes a real difference and we're incredibly lucky to have her back with our team."

The aforementioned defense will again be anchored by vocal leaders Sam DeSimone, a senior co-captain, and junior Allison Kreisinger.

Like any aggressive team, the Rangers weren't without their mistakes last year. This is a factor that Steier looks to improve upon ahead of a fresh start in 2015. The Rangers' third-year head coach lists "limiting dangerous mistakes," such as turnovers in the defensive zone and the accumulation of yellow cards, as the focal points of improvement going forward.

In their best form, the 2015 Rangers are banking on another year's worth of talent, development, and discipline. Steier sees and expects to capitalize upon this budding development and has a precocious plan of attack that starts with what she describes as "perpetual improvement" throughout the season, with the apex being an NCAA Tournament berth.

"We want to make a name for ourselves this year, and this is the year to do it."