US Lacrosse Magazine released the Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Women’s Preseason Top 20 on Jan. 2. Team-by-team previews will be unveiled on uslaxmagazine.com through the end of the month and will also appear as part of the magazine’s NCAA preview edition in February. 

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No. 10 Towson

2018 Record: 16-5 (6-1 CAA)
Coach: Sonia LaMonica (9th year)

All-Time Record: 369-324-4
NCAA Appearances: 8
Final Fours: 0
Championships: 0

Freshman attacker Molly Lynch was playing well in an intrasquad scrimmage when Towson coach Sonia LaMonica commented to her older sister, senior defender Meg Lynch, about her impressive performance.

“Meg just said, ‘Put me on her,’” LaMonica said. “There’s definitely a competitiveness there.”

The Lynch sisters are one of four sets of sisters for the Tigers this year. Two sets are twins — sophomore midfielders Madison and Hannah Hobbes and freshman midfielders Kerri and Nicole Liucci. Freshman attacker Kerri Thornton joins sophomore attacker Kaitlin Thornton.

“It’s pretty cool,” LaMonica said. “There’s something to be said for the instincts and connections that come from players that are siblings or play together.”

Six of the eight sisters attended Ward Melville (N.Y.) High School before joining the Towson program. Only the Lynches did not.

“I wouldn’t say we set out on a mission [to recruit sisters],” LaMonica said. “We didn’t sit down and declare that as a coaching staff. I will say we’re keenly aware of the benefits that can come from siblings playing together.

“My husband Mike played with his brother growing up and then at Maryland, and he believes in the benefits that come from it.”

LaMonica is hopeful that the sister act will pay dividends for the Tigers this year. Kaitlin Thornton started last year, as did Lynch, and now have their sisters are vying for starting spots and the chance to play together again.

“I don’t think these families approach the recruiting process as, ‘We’re a package,’” LaMonica said. “That obviously might be very limiting. For most of the sisters, going to school [together] was favorable, but it wasn’t the only thing they were pursuing.”

The four freshmen who joined the program are now finding their roles for a Tigers team that lost more than 40 percent of its scoring. Kerri Thornton joined fall ball late after starting for the Towson field hockey team in the fall. The other three will bolster the midfield.

“You can take the Thompson brothers, for instance, part of what makes them so good is the fact that they grew up playing ball in their backyard for so long,” LaMonica said. “They learn how to read each other. I’m interested to see how that plays out for us with having a lot of sisters on the field. That’s something unique.”

The Case For Towson

The defense has been steady for years and will remain the strength of the team. The offense could make the difference for Towson this year. The Tigers lost three of their top six scorers, but their midfield and attack look promising. “We’ll be faster as an attacking unit than we’ve been,” LaMonica said. “That in itself is going to help us become better known for our offense.”

The Case Against Towson

Emily Gillingham graduated after leading Towson in goals. She provided a facet on attack that they won’t have this year.

“We’ll be different this year than how we’ve been in the past,” LaMonica said. “We’re short on that lefty presence that Gilly brought. We’ll find a way to overcome that, whether it’s converting players that buy into playing different roles or refining our system a little bit so we’re not focusing on that as one of our biggest strengths.”

At the other end, the Tigers also must replace Tianna Wallpher, who triggered one of the country’s best defenses.

Path to the Playoffs

How close was Towson to being the toast of the CAA? The Tigers had a free-position shot with five seconds left that could have sunk James Madison, but instead they fell in overtime, the closest that JMU came to losing a game in the final two months of the season. This year, the Tigers play at the defending CAA and NCAA champions April 7 to open conference play in the rivalry’s next chapter.

Towson can put itself into great position nationally, as well, with games against Penn State, Georgetown, Navy, Stony Brook, Loyola, High Point and Johns Hopkins before they start the CAA.

Players To Watch

Olivia Conti, D., Jr.
52 CT, 51 GB

The two-time CAA Defender of the Year and first-team All-American has provided an imposing presence in each of her first two seasons. Conti is one of the best in the country at causing turnovers, and leads the team in ground balls. She’ll be a more vocal leader this year too.

Natalie Sulmonte, A, Sr.
75 PTS, 74 DC

Sulmonte led the Tigers in points, assists and draw controls. The former CAA Rookie of the Year and two-time first-team All-CAA selection is vital to the offense as someone who can win draws and create or finish goals. Her points and presence continue to climb.

Kiley Keating, G, Jr.
47.4 SV%, 9.36 GAA

Keating enjoyed a breakout season last year. In her first season as the regular starter, she led the CAA in save percentage and was the backstop to a top-10 defense. Keating returns with increased confidence after posting six games with 10 or more saves.

National Rankings

Power Ratings (Scale of 1-5)

Offense
⭐⭐⭐

Defense
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Goalkeeping
⭐⭐⭐

Draw
⭐⭐

16

Towson wants to take another step after equaling the program record for wins last year with 16. The record-tying season led to a No. 9 final ranking, its highest ranking since the IWLCA Coaches Poll had them at No. 7 midseason in 2010. Towson began last year unranked.

5-Year Trend
Caused Turnovers

Coach Confidential
Sonia LaMonica

“The defensive backbone will continue to be our bread and butter. I do think we’ll have some presence in our midfield with really strong lacrosse IQ. We’d like to play fast and aggressive and opportunistic.”

Enemy Lines

“They return some dominant offensive players in Sulmonte and Tellekamp. They have great size and power in some of their returning offensive players, and they play such a hard-nosed style on defense. But they’ve lost their interior system with Wallpher. That’s going to be a huge loss for them. I’m interested to see how they recover.”