The William Smith College lacrosse team will begin the 2016 season this afternoon at No. 18 Geneseo. The Herons open their campaign under the guidance of first-year Head Coach Anne Phillips, but return many familiar faces, including nine starters from last spring.
 
Phillips spent the last seven seasons as the head coach of the Yale lacrosse team. Prior to Yale, She served as the head coach at Franklin & Marshall for six seasons. In 2007, Phillips guided the team to an undefeated season that culminated in winning the NCAA Division III National Championship.
 
"We are taking this season one game at a time," said Phillips. "We want to improve every game, both as a team and as individuals, so that we peak heading into the end of the season."
 
The Heron rosters features 17 returners and adds nine newcomers.  William Smith's four seniors, Emy Stratton, Geneva Calder, Hannah Connolly and Allie O'Hara, make up this year's leadership group "The senior class as a whole has been instrumental in adjusting to the new coaching staff and has this team focused," said Phillips.
 
Here's a position-by-position look at the Herons:
 
Attack
 
The preseason has been a busy one for William Smith. Offensively, the Herons are adjusting quickly to a new style of play. William Smith brings back its top six scorers from 2015. Connolly will bring the senior leadership at the position. She's joined by three first-years and three sophomores. Connolly logged 22 points on 11 goals and 11 assists in 12 games last spring. Sophomore Ella Calder added nine points on six goals and three assists in 15 games, while classmate Sarah Benyo registered six points in 16 games.
 
Midfield
 
The Herons are experienced and will have speed at midfield. They will have the ability to push transition play. A 2015 All-Liberty League first team selection, junior Alexandra Bird is back after producing a team-high 53 points and 47 goals last season. Stratton started every game last year and notched 28 points on 24 goals and four assists. Geneva Calder, also a starter in every game, logged 28 points on 20 goals and eight assists. The All-Liberty League second team selection also led William Smith with 20 caused turnovers and ranked second with 36 ground balls last year. Junior Allie Flaherty chipped in 22 points on 15 goals and seven assists. She also won a team-high 33 draws. Sophomores Melissa Moore and Ali Burns bring even more experience at midfield. Moore started all 16 contests last year and added 22 points, and Burns saw time in 15 games, notching eight goals.
 
Defense
 
Defensively, the Herons also bring back a number of experienced players, who will help mold and guide their younger teammates. Juniors Jackie Rogers, Amy Blanchard and Geneva Waite will lead the way. Sophomore Cat Wolf returns and five new players join the team on defense. Rogers logged 20 ground balls and 15 caused turnovers last season, while Wolf added 19 ground balls and 10 caused turnovers. Blanchard scooped up 15 ground balls and caused eight turnovers last year.
 
Goalies
 
William Smith brings back both goalies from 2015.  An All-Liberty League second team pick, junior Sarah Honan played in 15 games. She posted a 10.38 goals against average and a .496 save percentage. She made a season-high 17 saves in a 10-6 win over Clarkson. O'Hara saw time in four games, logging a season-high seven saves against Ithaca.
 
After taking on the Knights in Geneseo, N.Y., the Herons will host Nazareth for their season opener on Saturday, March 5, on Boswell Field at 11 a.m. William Smith will host No. 13 Hamilton for another non-league game on March 9 at 4:30 p.m. The Herons will open Liberty League play on April 1, when they travel to take on Skidmore in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., at 4 p.m.