SALEM, Ore. – With the first counting contests of the 2024 spring lacrosse season set to take place this upcoming weekend, newly appointed Corban University Women's Lacrosse head coach Meredith Pinkerton is optimistic of the Warriors' outlook as they journey into the first season with a brand new team leader since their inaugural year of competition in 2021.
"As we approach the start of our season this weekend, I look forward to seeing all of our hard work play out on the field," began Coach Pinkerton when asked to detail her team's season outlook. "As a team, we have developed great chemistry over the last year, and I am so proud of the effort I have seen in our athletes as they strive to continue the growth of the Corban women's lacrosse program."
The 2023 spring season featured a handful of dominant victories and down-to-the-wire matchups, as the Warriors finished with a 3-4 overall record with a pair of blowout wins over Eastern Oregon University and 12-goal victory over NCAA DIII Cornell College. Of their four losses, only one finished with more than a two-goal margin, with the other three ending at 14-16, 11-12, and 9-10 against the Navy and Gold.
After hosting five regular season contests and a single scrimmage at the Outdoor Athletic Complex (OAC) last year, Corban will play only three home games this season where the departure of a fellow NAIA program left the Warriors with little opponents to choose from in the Pacific Northwest. The Mountaineers remain the only NAIA competition for the Navy and Gold in the state of Oregon and surrounding states with Multnomah University having dropped the varsity sport over last summer, leaving Coach Pinkerton and her staff with no choice but to schedule more contests with NCAA programs than in years past.
The program saw three student-athletes named to NAIA Daktronics Scholar-Athlete status in 2023, led by Pinkerton who now provides the Warrior lineup with guidance and support from a new coaching perspective. Now senior attacker Sydney Davis and sophomore Annette Romano were the other two nominees, both of whom are back on the field this season once again for the Navy and Gold.
With one scrimmage in the books and the other having been canceled by the host institution, the Warriors now turn their attention to the only back-to-back contests of the 2024 season this upcoming weekend, where they'll participate in the Whit Classic in Walla Walla, Washington. They'll battle host institution Whitman College on March 2nd, followed by Whitworth University on March 3rd, with both games slated for 11am start times.
Corban's home opener at the OAC is scheduled for Monday, March 11th at 2pm where they'll welcome NCAA DIII University of Puget Sound. The Loggers handed the Navy and Gold their first road loss last year in a narrow 16-14 decision, with the Warriors looking to return the favor this year on their own home turf.
The next month of the season will only feature two matchups, both against Eastern Oregon in a home-away tradeoff. The Mounties will host the Warriors on March 16th, while Corban will host EOU on April 7th, both with 1pm start times.
The Navy and Gold will conclude their 2024 regular season with a Senior Day contest against NCAA DIII Lewis & Clark College, a local team that the Warriors have never competed with to this date. Senior Day festivities will begin promptly at 12:50pm, with the final home game of the 2024 year beginning at right after at 1pm.
The NAIA National Tournament will invite eight teams to duke it out for the coveted red banner on Wednesday, May 1st through Saturday, May 4th. The tournament will be held this year at Memorial Stadium in Savannah, Georgia, with the top eight teams in the NAIA being invited to square off for a national championship trophy.
"Many of our opponents are also newer teams, and we are grateful to have the opportunity to join with them in the inaugural years of collegiate women's lacrosse here in the Pacific Northwest," explained Coach Pinkerton.
To view the entire 2024 Corban Women's Lacrosse schedule, click HERE.
Eight Warriors return from the 2023 lineup to help replace the graduating seniors from last year's spring commencement, led by Davis and sophomore attacker Jillian Phillips in their own offensive front while Romano assists in the command of the Corban backfield. Sophomore attackers/midfielders Naomi Rauch and Megan Lia will look to stretch the field to the max alongside sophomore midfielder Kailyn Dawkins.
Warriors' senior goalkeeper Payton Nuse will fill the void in between the posts in her final year in the navy and gold threads, with senior defender/attacker Katie Beebe sliding in to assist in her multi-faceted role on the field.
Coach Pinkerton welcomed a quartet of newcomers to the 2024 roster this past fall, including a pair of key defenders and a midfielder who will all look to earn immediate field time for Corban. Freshmen defenders Amelia Bossard and Elsie Marineau are expected to join Romano in the backfield, while freshmen midfielders Mercedes Comstock and Shaelee Killorn will help provide depth in all three-sectors of the playing surface.
To view the up to date 2024 Corban Women's Lacrosse roster, click HERE.
To read up more on the newcomers of the 2024 Corban Women's Lacrosse team, click HERE.
Coach Pinkerton and her staff are confident in their student-athletes' hard work from over the past summer and fall workouts as their programs enters the fourth season of varsity competition, with half of their regular season contest being played out on Corban's campus to allow every member of Warrior Nation to become even more involved in Pacific Northwest women's lacrosse.
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