Every season, the Canisius College women's lacrosse team looks to accomplish one ultimate goal - to win a MAAC Championship. However, in 2009 a string of unfortunate and unlucky injuries derailed the Golden Griffins' championship hopes.

The 2010 season brings a fresh start for the Griffs and with a healthy team, Canisius once again envisions a season-ending run that results in a NCAA Tournament trip.

"Our goal every season is to win a MAAC Championship and earn an invitation to the NCAA Tournament," said Canisius head coach Scott Teeter. "I feel like anything short of that is an unsuccessful season in my eyes."

Despite losing 100 goals from last year's team to graduation - nearly half of the team's 205-goal total - Teeter has reasons to believe that this year's squad will be able to reach its goal this season.

"It is definitely a challenge to get the 100 goals back that we graduated but the biggest obstacle that we face is staying healthy for the entire year," Teeter said. "Despite a number of injuries last season, we still finished second in the MAAC and were a couple minutes away from reaching the conference championship. A number of young players received valuable playing time as a result and we hope that results in a experienced club this season that takes our program to the next step. We have more all-conference players returning than in any other season. So, I think that we are going to have a really successful year."

A very deep and talented team returns this year as Canisius welcomes back 16 letterwinners and nine starters from last season's club that qualified for the MAAC Tournament in back-to-back seasons for the first time in school history. Seven newcomers will also join the team in 2010 to add to an already talented squad.

"We are very strong in three areas this season," Teeter said. "First, we are very deep and healthy in goal right now. Second, we have a real veteran senior-laden defense. Finally, we have a lot depth in numbers and talent in our midfield."

Goaltenders
The goaltending is a position of strength for the 2010 season with All-MAAC honoree Allison Daley returning for her junior year.

Daley fought through injuries during her sophomore campaign to earn second-team All-MAAC accolades. With Daley back to being healthy, Teeter looks for her to anchor a strong defensive unit in 2010.

"A big key for us this year is having a healthy Allison Daley," Teeter said. "Last year, she played with a really difficult injury but really showed her team commitment by playing through it. Her communication and her drive and will to win is contagious."

More important for the Griffs is adding depth at the position with the addition of freshman Gina Molfetta.

"Gina had a very good fall," Teeter said. "She got a lot of time in the crease to really adjust to the Division I level and we are really comfortable with either Allison or Gina in net."

Defense
Anchoring the defense in front of Daley and Molfetta are four seniors. Returning starters Alyson Brown, Marissa Brown, Brett Poissant and Alison Rusak are all back and look to end their careers in style with a MAAC Championship.

"The strength of this year's team is our defense," Teeter said. "We have four key seniors leading the way that have started for us since their freshman year. They know our systems and they just need to execute them consistently and we will be very strong back there. The four of them are great leaders and our captains."

Marissa Brown, Poissant and Rusak all earned second-team All-MAAC honors as juniors. Brown finished third in the country last season with 2.72 caused turnovers per game, in addition to a team-best 50 ground balls. She also recorded 20 points and ranked second on the team with 41 draw controls.

Poissant recorded 19 points, 25 draw controls, 24 ground balls and 14 caused turnovers with Rusak adding 24 ground balls and 18 caused turnovers. Alyson Brown rounded out the unit with 16 ground balls and eight caused turnovers.

"Marissa Brown brings the intensity level that we need back there," Teeter said. "Alison Rusak is the true heart and soul of our defense and leads by example. Alyson Brown gives us size and intelligence on our defense, while Brett will play more on defense this year where she can really excel at."

Sophomore Meagan Hurley also returns on the back line and is coming off a tremendous fall season. Last year, Hurley appeared in seven games. Senior Kathleen DiPasquale and junior Mary Butlak join the team in 2010 and will add depth at the position.

Midfield
A deep midfield unit will feature a number of talented players that will need to replace the production left by Ashley Gray and Chelsea Martinez. The duo combined for 95 goals last season, while Martinez also recorded a school-record 62 draw controls in 2009.

"Our midfield is probably the deepest it has ever been this season," Teeter said. "All of our upperclassmen got valuable minutes last year. We are losing Ashley and Chelsea but I think this season, we will be a more balanced team. We will be more versatile and could have six players with 20-plus goals and draw controls."

Junior Jackie Loson and sophomores Rachel Brand, Megan Oosting and Theresa Walton will anchor the unit and play on both ends of the field this season.

Loson, who played primarily on defense last season, earned second-team All-MAAC honors in 2009, posting seven goals, 37 ground balls and 14 caused turnovers. Oosting led all freshmen last season with 16 points and 11 goals, while Brand was close behind at 15 points and 10 scores. Walton, who frequently drew the opponent's top offensive player on defense, also netted 10 goals.

"Our goal scoring should be more spread out with those four players," Teeter said. "We will have more balance and it should keep us fresher to played a high-tempo offense."

Kaitlyn Black adds depth at the midfield position. As a sophomore, Black played in 13 games with one starting assignment. Freshmen Kate Gosson and Lindsey Morgan will also see valuable playing time as rookies.

Attack
The attacking unit will benefit the most by a healthy team in 2010. Despite losing 100 goals of offense last season, a group compromising of juniors Ashley Curtis, Taylor Gray, Brianne Laffey and Carly Quinn has the potential to quickly fill the void.

Last season, Gray, Laffey and Quinn all missed a large amount of time due to injuries but along with Curtis, each has shown a great amount of promise.

"When you lose two 40-goal scorers, it tends to be a concern," Teeter said. "With the group of players we have coming back on attack, if healthy, we know that they can come in and not miss a beat."

As a rookie last season, Curtis finished third on the team behind Ashley Gray and Chelsea Martinez with 32 points, recording 19 goals and 13 assists. Curtis will fill a larger role this season and could become the leader of the unit.

"We are in search for a true leader on attack this season," Teeter said. "Ashley Curtis has the potential to be that person and she will get that opportunity to do so. We expect good things out of her this season."

In just nine games last season, Laffey finished fourth on the team with 28 points, registering nine goals and 19 assists. Gray played the final 10 contests of the season and recorded 19 points, three goals and 16 helpers. The two, along with freshman Abbie Gowen, will anchor the unit behind the net.

Quinn, sophomore Kristy Wilensky and freshman Meghan McGunigle round out the unit. As a rookie in 2008, Quinn totaled 15 points, seven goals and eight assists. Wilensky played in 12 games last season, scoring two goals.

Schedule
The 2010 schedule is highlighted by nine home games, including a pair of games against teams that finished the 2009 campaign nationally ranked in Ohio State and Fairfield.

The Griffs opens the season on Feb. 13 at Longwood and will also play at Boston College and Connecticut before returning home for a March 6 contest against Robert Morris. In addition to hosting the nationally-ranked Buckeyes, the Griffs will also welcome Binghamton, St. Bonaventure, Detroit and Lehigh to the Demske Sports Complex in non-conference action, while traveling to play Albany and Duquesne.

"Our schedule is set up to challenge us in our non-conference season and to help us prepare for our MAAC games," Teeter said. "We will need to be strong right from the beginning in MAAC games with two key contests at home to start things off."

The conference season will be challenging right from the start, hosting the last two MAAC champions in Fairfield and Marist. Canisius will also host Niagara and play at Siena, Iona and Manhattan in conference action.

The top four teams during the MAAC regular season qualify for the conference's postseason championship. Marist will host the 2010 Championship on April 30 and May 2.