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With 16 returning players, including eight starters, the women’s lacrosse team is looking to make a big impact in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation during the 2012 season.

The women’s lacrosse team finished the 2011  season ranked 2nd in the MPSF after going 5-1 in conference. The season ended with a disappointing 7-4 loss to No. 3-seed Oregon in the MPSF semifinals last April.

Despite an impressive in-conference record, the team went 7-11 overall in 2011, beginning the season 3-10. However, it is the four-game winning streak near the end of the season that carries the team into 2012.

“We’re excited about this season,” said head coach Liza Kelly. “I think we will be competitive in every game. We are ready to prove that we’re a lot better than last year’s record.”

After the team announced its 2012 schedule last fall, Kelly was pleased with the number of home games. In 2011, the team played 12 of their 18 games on the road. This year, the team’s regular season schedule includes eight home games and seven road games.

“We have one of the best lacrosse facilities in the country, and we are excited to play so many games at home this season,” said Kelly. “We have a lot more games at [Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium] this year and that should help us a lot. This is also the first year we have had single-game road trips. Being able to prepare for just one team at a time will help us a lot in the long run.”

The 2012 team lost five graduating seniors and two other players from the 2011 squad. Last year’s seniors included goalkeeper Lauren Benner, defensive players Carrie Gamper, Karin Hart and Kelsey McDowell and midfielder Tulley Stapp.

“We lost a great senior class. They all brought something unique to the program and really taught the team resilience, the ability to bounce back from a tough loss,” said Kelly. “But the freshmen are a great group. They understand and respect what comes with being a college athlete. They have been pushing the upperclassmen and their confidence is really coming out in the preseason. A couple are really pushing for playing time.”

This year’s freshman class adds nine women to the roster, including five midfielders, two attacks and two defensive players.

“We have a great freshman class,” said captain Kara Secora. “They come to practice playing as hard as they can and really push the rest of us.”

According to Kelly, this year’s team is extremely well-rounded, and she expects players of all ages to be major contributors.

“The sophomore class is just fantastic in general and will do a great job this season,” said Kelly. “At any given point, we had six of them on the field last year, giving them experience for this season. The junior class, as a whole, is small with only three of them, but mighty. They have really been playing very well, and we expect great things on the field this season.”

The Pioneers are led this season by four captains, including seniors Melissa Maier, Laura Connors and Ashley Harman and redshirt junior Secora. The team’s final senior is Becca Steinberg.

Besides the captains, the team will seek leadership from juniors Alex Befus, Jessica Gring and Kate Henrich.

Gring and Henrich team with Conors on a defensive unit full of experience.

Looking at this season’s schedule, both Kelly and Connors recognized Stanford as one of the toughest competitions, especially as the team’s biggest rival. Stanford finished the 2011 season No. 1 in the MPSF and is currently ranked No. 6 nationally. However, the Cardinal lost their top four goal scorers from last season. Kelly hopes to capitalize on this when the Pioneers host Stanford on April 7.

“Stanford is always a tough game. They’re a very strong team, and we’re excited to have them back at home this year,” said Kelly. “Oregon has very strong goalies, and California has a new coach. Davis is always scary as an opponent; you don’t forget about Davis. Really, there’s no one you can overlook [in the conference] at this point.”

Ultimately, Kelly strives to begin the season strong and maintain that momentum all the way through the MPSF and NCAA tournaments.

“Our team needs to still be playing in May,” said Kelly, referring to the post-MPSF schedule. “We have to develop some swagger as a team and the belief that we can go into any game and play how we are capable of playing.”

To accomplish these goals, all four captains stressed the importance of working hard each day of the season.

“We’re definitely a growing team,” said Connors. “We went through a transition phase last year and we got the nerves out. Now we are back and ready to play. We had a great fall and a great preseason.”

The team attributes much of its success to Kelly, now in her sixth year as head coach for the Pioneers. During that time, she has led the team to a 25-3 MPSF record, including three conference sweeps.

“Liza [Kelly] just works well with people,” said Harman. “She changes her strategy to what the team needs. She coaches differently each year, because it’s a new team each year. That’s what a good coach is to me.”

In addition to their busy practice, training and competition schedule, the Pioneers have teamed up with the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation, a non-profit, charitable organization that improves the quality of life for children with pediatric brain tumors and their families.

During the fall season, the team adopted Bailey, a teenager who has been diagnosed with neurofibromatosis and acoustic neuroma, a type of brain tumor. Bailey is now an honorary member of the Pioneer squad.

“We’re really looking forward to this new experience,” said Maier.

The Pioneers begin their season with a Feb. 24 road game at John Hopkins, followed by a March 2 game in Louisville, Ky.