The Southern New Hampshire University women's lacrosse team, selected seventh in the Northeast-10 Conference preseason coaches' poll, returns nine players and has also added a dozen freshmen to this year's roster. The Penmen finished 9-8 last spring including 7-4 in the NE-10, advancing to the NE-10 semifinals for the fifth straight year. SNHU returns two of their top four scorers from 2010.
Junior Emily Mongeau (Westborough, Mass.) was one of seven Penmen to start all 17 games last season, finishing the year second on the team with 61 points on 43 goals and 18 assists. She also collected a team-high 80 draw controls and a team-high 52 ground balls. Mongeau, a two-sport student-athlete, also started all 16 games for the women's soccer team this past fall.
Fellow junior Sara Halbich (Salem, N.H.) was fourth on last year's team with 48 points, totaling 37 goals and 11 assists for the Penmen. The midfielder also tied for the team-lead with three game-winning goals.
Classmate Jade Antonangeli (Bourne, Mass.) also returns to the Penmen lineup after scoring 15 goals last season. Another classmate, Kelly Curran (Arlington, Mass.) appeared in all 17 games last season and had eight goals and three assists.
Junior Rene DiPietro (Quincy, Mass.) appeared in 12 games last season, totaling three goals and two assists.
Senior defender Brittany Whiteway (Billerica, Mass.) started all 17 games and tallied two goals and an assist in 2010.
Seniors Jenna Whittemore (Whiting, Vt.) and Kaley Waterman (Berwick, Maine) also return 
as defenders, as the two started 17 and 16 games respectively last season. The pair will serve as tri-captains this season along with Mongeau. Waterman was a Northeast-10 All-Conference selection last spring.
Junior Hannah Moriarty (Chelmsford, Mass.) returns at goalie for the Penmen after staring all 17 games last season. Moriarty posted an 8-8 record and made a single-season school record 203 saves for a .447 save percentage.
Second-year head coach Kate Mullen and her staff also added 12 freshmen to a roster that boasted just 17 active players last year. Among the newcomers are five attackers, including Jenna Crupi (Albany, N.Y.), Phoebe Clark (Concord, N.H.), Lauryn Wheeler (Bow, N.H.), Justine Clark (Oceanside, N.Y.) and Ellie Morin (Scarborough, Mass.).
Fellow freshman Ashley Chu (Framingham, Mass.) was also brought in at midfield, while classmate Shayla Walden (Warren, R.I.) joins the Penmen at goaltender.
The Penmen open up their season on the road Monday, March 7 when they travel to Erskine College in South Carolina. SNHU will host Fort Lewis on Thursday, March 10 in its home opener at Larkin Field at 1:00 p.m.
