ST. PAUL, Minn. – This week, Concordia-St. Paul women's lacrosse opens the 2020 season at the Concordia Dome at Sea Foam Stadium, hosting UC-Colorado Springs on Thursday at 6 p.m. and Rockhurst on Saturday at noon. UCCS and Rockhurst will also play on Sunday at 11 a.m.
 
ONLINE COVERAGE
Watch the games live online, free of charge through Concordia's single camera webcast via Presto Sports (formerly Stretch Internet). The stream will be available to view on most OTT apps such as the Roku, AppleTV, Amazon Fire, Android TV and more – search 'NSIC' to download the app!
 
The video features the play-by-play call of Dan Flanagan, voice of the Golden Bears since 2008. The St. Paul native is a graduate of Fordham University (N.Y.) where he trained in broadcasting in multiple sports including the Rams football team in the Patriot League.

The games will also be available to follow along with live stats.
 
SERIES HISTORY: CSP 2, ROCKHURST 0
Concordia will be playing UC-Colorado Springs, a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) for the first time and will be facing Rockhurst in non-conference play for the third time, scoring wins on the road in 2017 (16-12) and 2019 (12-11) with Rockhurst making its first trip to St. Paul. The 2017 win was historical, in that it was CSP's first-ever road win, first-ever DII opponent win and first-ever comeback victory.
 
Concordia trailed 8-3 late in the first half and 12-9 with 13 minutes to play but scored the final seven goals in a 16-12 win in 2017. It was Kailey Heinl who netted the game-tying goal with 9:33 to play and the eventual game-winner with 8:39 as part of a four goal game during her freshman year. It was also CSP's first-ever road game, with sophomore Sheala Osborne scoring the program's first away goal in the opening minutes for the quick 1-0 lead, her first of four goals.
 
In last year's meeting, the teams met in CSP's season opener in Kansas City with freshman Mary Keating scoring the game-winner with 40 seconds to play, adding four assists in her first career game. Three Golden Bears had hat tricks in the win: Kailey Heinl, Alina Boyce and Erica Peterson.
 
ABOUT THE MOUNTAIN LIONS
Like Concordia, UCCS enters its fourth year as a DII women's lacrosse program but the Mountain Lions are still seeking their first winning campaign, posting 17-30 overall and 6-21 RMAC records in the previous three seasons. But the program has increased its win total by two in league play each year, going 0-9 as a first year program in the RMAC in 2017, moving to 2-7 in 2018 and had a 4-5 finish last year, which ended with back-to-back losses to Rockhurst, one on the road and the other in the RMAC Tournament.
 
The momentum has continued into the RMAC Preseason Coaches Poll as league lacrosse coaches have picked UCCS in third in the eight team RMAC, behind only nationally-ranked Regis and Colorado Mesa. They are expected to be led by their top three leading scorers from a year ago: Angela Naughton with 51 points (35g, 16a), Kiera Lowe with 48 points (38g, 10a) and Natalie Church with 46 points (23g, 23a).
 
ABOUT THE ROCKHURST HAWKS
The Hawks opened 2020 with a 12-11 overtime loss at home to Benedictine College of Kansas on Saturday despite carrying a 6-3 lead into halftime and leading by as many as four at the 25-minute mark of the second half before the visiting Ravens scored four in a row to take a 9-8 lead. Trailing by a goal late (11-10), Rockhurst's Logan Derosia tied the game with 1:00 to play to send it to overtime. She had a team-high four goals on the day while Helen Krause added three.
 
The Hawks head to the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) after previously being members of the Rocky Mountain (RMAC) prior to the GLVC fielding enough members to sponsor the sport. The Hawks were picked third in the first-ever GLVC Preseason Coaches Poll, behind nationally-ranked Lindenwood and former GLIAC champion Indianapolis, and one point ahead of former GLIAC member McKendree.
 
Rockhurst is coming off an 11-8 overall and 6-3 RMAC finish a year ago, the program's most successful season after a pair of 4-5 RMAC records the previous two seasons in which they posted 8-7 and 9-9 overall records in 2018 and 2017, respectively. The program was founded in 2014.
 
MEET THE GOLDEN BEARS – PLENTY OF RETURNERS
Concordia returns just about everyone from last year's breakthrough 11-7 overall record as the program reached the postseason for the first time including its first-ever home playoff game - a GLIAC Tournament quarterfinal win and trip to the tournament's semifinal round.
 
Of the 13 players who scored at least three goals last year, all but two return for 2020 and all five of the team's core five defensive players and both goalies return.
 
It starts with the All-GLIAC performers with first team selection Lexi Stanley anchoring the defense, second team sniper Alina Boyce anchoring the attack, honorable mention selections Cassidy Leining (D) and Katie Lottsfeldt also playing into protecting the cage. The 2018 team had three All-GLIAC Second Team selections including Lottsfeldt as a two-time pick, but the other two, Maddie Hentges (A) and Sara Stickler (D) are also still fortifying the roster.
 
THE ATTACK
Joining Boyce and Hentges as the team's top returner attackers are the team's assist leader from a year ago Sara McNicoll and all-around four-year contributor Kaci Reid while Erica Peterson returns from being awarded a medical redshirt after a season-ending injury ended her sophomore campaign five games into the year while Hannah Distad scored 12 points in 13 games.
 
The position group only features one newcomer to the mix, freshman Callie Stumpfl who was a four year starter at Buffalo High School.
 
MIDFIELDERS
In the middle, junior Margot Coomes and sophomore Mary Keating anchor a position vacated by the early graduation of three year starter Kailey Heinl. Coomes put up 17 points, 23 ground balls, 22 draw controls and 11 caused turnovers while Keating had 16 points, 24 ground balls, 16 draw controls and 13 caused turnovers. The group also includes junior Lex Seifert who came off the bench in all 18 games but scored 15 points (13g) and had 17 draw controls, and fourth year junior Katie Moynihan who started three games and had 13 points (11g) with 10 ground balls.
 
They'll be boosted by the return of redshirt freshman Molly Moynihan who missed her freshman year in 2019 due to injury and junior newcomer Sarah Pierson, a transfer from Saint Leo where she gained 32 games of experience at the Division II level including 41 draw controls in 15 games (1 start) in 2019 and had 88 draw controls and 20 points as a freshman starter in 2018. Incoming freshmen include Taya Schubert from Riverside Secondary in British Columbia and Coco Lysek from Lyons Township High School in Illinois. The position includes even more depth as redshirt freshman Julia Monson is currently sidelined due to injury while Ellie Federowski is not expected to debut as a true freshman in 2020.
 
Protecting the net is fourth year goalie Katie Lottsfeldt, a two-time All-GLIAC pick who has increased her save percentage each year, going from .390 as a freshman to .437 as a sophomore to .446 last year which included her career-high of 141 saves as she closes in on 400 career saves with 395. She also had a career-best 11.86 goals against average as a junior and surrenders 13.47 across 49 career games with a .423 save percentage.
 
Junior goalie Claire Hagen also saw a major increase in save percentage last year, going from .353 as a freshman to .455 as a sophomore in 2019 while playing in 194 minutes.
 
GOALIES
The goalies undoubtedly benefitted from a strong and cohesive defensive presence a year ago, which should continue to be a strength ahead of them in 2020 with All-GLIAC First Teamer Lexi Stanley, a junior, joined by stellar four year senior starters Sara Stickler, Cassidy Leininger and Kylie Christensen along with junior Lexi Dahl who was a key reserve in 12 games behind them.
 
DEFENDERS
The defense will be fortified by the additions of junior transfer Valerie Bragg from Wilmington (Del.), as she started in 27 of the 36 games she played at the Division II level along with incoming freshmen Maia Hodgins from Chanhassen High School, Emma Hanson from Park Center High School and Nicole Kuhn from Ecole Alpha Secondary School in British Columbia.