WESTERVILLE, OHIO – The Otterbein University women’s lacrosse program is set to begin its inaugural season in 2012, opening Saturday, March 10 against Oberlin College at Clements Field. Starting time is set for 11 a.m.

This year’s roster consists of 19 players for head coach Stephani Schmidt, who came to Otterbein after 10 seasons as the head coach at Denison University.

“Our excitement level is about as high as it can get right now,” Schmidt said. “It’s almost hard to believe it’s finally here. Last year without a team was the longest lacrosse season ever for me, but the time has come and the girls are ready to get out there and play someone.”

Schmidt expects freshmen Rebecca Carter and Victoria Blatt to combine with sophomore Alyssa Johnson on the attacking front, and the trio of Kayle Quinter, Megan Burless, and Samantha Colello to headline the midfield.

Freshman Anna Wadlington and sophomore Samantha Shook are anticipated to lead the defensive unit.

“We are lucky to have the chance to open at home,” said Schmidt.  “A familiar environment can go a long way when you consider the excitement of the first game in program history, combined with the nerves of an entire team playing in their first ever college game.”

“The community has shown a lot of enthusiasm for our program,” Schmidt continued.  “I’ve had a number of different people from all over campus say how excited they are to see a women’s lacrosse game.  We hope to be good representatives of Otterbein itself and take pride in the opportunity we have been given.”

After playing Oberlin, the team will embark on a spring-break trip consisting of three games throughout Illinois and Wisconsin.

“Our road trip will be a great time to help build our team chemistry and see how we can play against some of the other newer programs in the region,” Schmidt said. “Over the course of the trip we are able to see how our players react in games when things maybe aren’t going as planned. I believe we can be competitive in a number of games this year, but hope we just see improvement from one game to the next.”