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The Virginia Tech women’s lacrosse team opens the 2015 season at Liberty Friday evening at 4 p.m. The Hokies are 7-13 all-time in season openers and 2-2 under head coach Megan Burker. Tech returns eight starters from last year’s squad, including leading scorer Megan Will and starting goalie Meagh Graham. This is the first time the Hokies have opened against Liberty, despite facing the Flames in each of the last four years.
The Series
The Hokies are 4-0 all-time against the Flames. Tech took last year’s match-up in Blacksburg, 18-7. Meg Bartley led the way with six goals and an assist, while Megan Will added five goals of her own.
Morgan Becker led the Flames with three goals and an assist.
Family Ties
Newcomer Tristan McGinley not only begins her collegiate career against Liberty, but will also be going up against her older sister Annie McGinely, who is in her second season as an assistant coach for the Flames. Annie joined the Liberty staff after finishing her playing career at Rutgers in 2013.
Off The Draw
Senior Meg Bartley has been a huge asset for the Hokies on the draw over the past three years. She finished her junior campaign in a big way when she won a career-high 10 draws in the final game of the season against Maryland, which lifted her season total to a Tech-record 90. Bartley current ranks second all-time at Tech with 202 career draws.
Will Threatens on Offense
Senior Megan Will is coming off of a strong junior season that saw her lead the Hokies with 48 goals and 17 assists, while also climbing up Tech’s all-time charts. Will currently ranks fourth at Tech in career scoring (120g) and sixth in career points (156). The All-ACC third team honoree scored in 15 of Tech’s 17 games last season, and had just one game without a point.
New Faces
The Hokies have a lot of new faces around the program this season, welcoming 10 freshmen and two new assistant coaches. Both assistant coaches joined the staff over the summer, as Mallory Poole arrived at Tech after serving as the head coach at Bloomsburg University for the past two seasons, and Kim Kolarik spent the past year at Lehigh after concluding her playing career at Virginia. The talented freshman class consists of Mary Claire Byrne, Amanda Uliano, Brittney VanVeldhuisen, Tristan McGinely, Emma Harden, Paige Graham, Kristen Kohles, Xani Shultis, Kelly Glatthorn and Carly Primo. The midfield-dominant class hails from six different East Coast states.
Busy Break
Senior Jack Boissonneault had a much different winter break that her teammates. The environmental studies major enrolled in a winter semester course that brought her all over Ecuador, traveling to the Galapagos Islands and through the Amazon Rainforest. The class traveled all over the South American country researching the natural inhabitants of the land, as well as the damage and effects of the modern world on that environment.