LA GRANDE, Ore. – Year No. 2 is here for Mountaineers Women's Lacrosse! Eastern Oregon is excited for a season that will feature 11 standalone games and one tournament. Read below to learn about this year's squad, the schedule, and much more. 

2022 Season Outlook
• The Mountaineers will look to play its first official games this spring after the COVID-19 pandemic limited the 2021 campaign to 7v7 exhibitions. 
• Still a new sport to the region and much of the West Coast of the United States, EOU Women's Lacrosse is just one of three schools in the Cascade Collegiate Conference that offers the sport.
• With what is still a relatively young squad, Eastern will look to the veteran presence of its returning sophomores from the 2021 season.
• Although not a full conference sport, the Mountaineers are slotted second in the NAIA's preseason conference rankings.

The 2022 Schedule
• 11 standalone games and a tournament make up this year's schedule. Seven of the games on tap will be against NCAA Division III schools.
• Fans will get a chance to watch Mountaineers Lacrosse at home five times this year. All home games this season will be played at Community Stadium. Admission to all home games will be free to the public.
• Eastern will compete at the Boise State Tournament over a two-day span, March 12-13, with opponents to be determined.
• The Mountaineers will face CCC foes Corban and Multnomah University twice, respectively, to round out the initial 11 games.

2021 Season Review
• Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mountaineers were limited to 7v7 exhibitions. The team posted a 1-4 overall record.
• The first win for the EOU program was a 22-16 victory at Whitworth. EOU played down a few players late in the second half but still secured the win.
• The Mountaineers also played a handful of other Division III schools and club teams in scrimmages to round out the 2021 campaign.

The Monica Plut File 
• Monica Plut enters her second season as head coach of Mountaineer Women's Lacrosse in 2022. She was named the program's first ever head coach in January 2020.
 • In 2021, Plut and the Mountaineers were limited to exhibition contests due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. In five exhibition contests, the Mountaineers took on a pair of NCAA Division III schools and the only other NAIA school on the West Coast at the time. 
• The Mountaineer women picked up their first win in a 22-16 triumph over the Whitworth Pirates back on March 5.
• Plut's squad also posted above a 3.0 GPA during the winter term and had multiple athletes make the Dean's List throughout the academic year.

POSITION BREAKDOWN
Attack
• Seven athletes make up the attack group for the Mountaineers, with five also expected to see time at midfield. Of the seven three come back as returners from a season ago.
• In this group are Kiana Watchman, Marisol Trevino, Saydee Hetrick, Grace Hickman, Madisson Hoyt, Abigail Burkeen, and Sydney Vopat.
• Watchman, Trevino, and Hetrick will look to add experience to the group having played in 2021.
• Named a team captain, Watchman is one of the oldest of the group and will be looked upon to help guide the offense.
• Both Hetrick and Trevino add control to the group with both having worked as draw control specialists in 2021.
• Hetrick was one of the top assist getters in 2021 and played shift in draw control and in the midfield. Trevino played predominantly at midfield a season ago, but will likely split more time on attack in 2022.
• Newcomers in Hoyt, Burkeen, and Vopat give the Mountaineers a bit more height on the outside. All three are expected to add quality time on the field. Hickman joins the team as a walk on and will likely play on the attack end for EOU.

Midfield
• Also in the midfield for the Mountaineers is Samantha Buckley, Kate McAfee, and Claire Bever.
• Buckley was the primary scorer for the Mountaineers in 2021 and will look to be more of a facilitator of the offense this year. Her shift to the midfield will also allow her to help anchor the EOU defense. 
• McAfee was named a team captain and will work opposite of Buckley to allow her to transition to both offense and defense when called upon. 
• Bever will also play a split shift at midfield and defense. She adds length and speed to help compliment McAfee and Buckley when the two shift more toward the offense.

Defense
• Two newcomers will play primarily on defense for the Mountaineers in Jade Murphy and Ashley Laub.
• Murphy is a true freshman, while comes in as a transfer. Both played primarily on defense prior to joining EOU and will look to be anchors on the back end for EOU.
• Laub brings collegiate experience to the Mountaineers having played at the NCAA Division II level two years prior to 2022. Named a team captain in 2022, she is one of the veterans on the team despite being a newcomer.

Goalie
• Brooklynn Wright is the lone goalkeeper of the team for EOU, but has showcased at the high school level that she was one of the best.
• At 5-7, the Iowa native will act as the last line of defense for the Mountaineers this season. She finished her prep career in the state of Washington.
• For Wright, she will also work with the defense to help facilitate their zone and man-to-man defense.

Scouting the Whitworth Pirates
• The Pirates will play their unofficial season opener when they host EOU this weekend. The game is being denoted as an exhibition for Whitworth.
• Last year, the Pirates went 0-10 in countable contests. In true home contests, the team was 0-4 on the year.
• Leading scorer Kylee Walker is back from a season ago. She scored 13 goals in 10 starts and dished out three assists. 
• Madison Perry tied for the team lead in assists last season with three. Seh also scored 10 goals on the year. She led the way in draw controls with 38. 
• Perry was also a key player of defense and led the team in caused turnovers with 21. She had a team best 27 ground ball pickups last year as well. 
• The Pirates will have a new goalie in net this year. On the roster for Whitworth are two freshmen in Hannah Lew and Sage Fosnock.

Up Next
• Following the road contest, EOU will play its 2022 home opener next weekend. Eastern will play two home contest, first against Willamette on Saturday, Feb. 19, followed by Linfield on Sunday, Feb. 20. Game time for both contests is set for 1 p.m. inside Community Stadium.

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