Denver Wins First 2010 MPSF Contest
Feb. 1, 2010
Complete Release in PDF Format 
DENVER (1-0 MPSF, 1-0 overall) began its season last Friday with an 18-5 MPSF victory at St. Mary's. The Pioneers opened the season on a 6-0 run, which included a pair of goals by senior Lexi Sanders. Sophomores Lauren Ciccomascolo and Kara Secora each delivered four goals and two assists. Kirsty Faulder had four goals and Ali Flury added a hat trick. Ashley Harman allowed just two goals in 46 minutes of action, while picking up 11 saves. Denver continues its season at No. 5 Duke on Fri, Feb. 12 and No. 4 North Carolina on Sun, Feb. 14.
ST. MARY'S (0-1 MPSF, 0-1 overall) had five players score once in the 18-5 loss to Denver in the season opener. Juliet Munroe scored the first goal for the Gaels at the 3:18 mark of the first half. Kathleen Worsdale collected seven saves in a complete game. St. Mary's is off until it travels to Hofstra and Long Island, Feb. 20 & 21.
#13 STANFORD (0-0 MPSF, 0-0 overall) opens its season in Syracuse, NY, taking on Le Moyne and No. 6 Syracuse Feb. 19 & 21. The preseason No. 13 Cardinal returns nine starters from a team that went 14-4 overall and won its fifth consecutive MPSF Championship. The squad returns 236 of its 264 goals it scored last year (89 percent) and top seven goal-scorers, including 30-goal scorers Sarah Flynn (36), Lauren Schmidt (35), Dana Lindsay (32) and Karen Nesbitt (30). Schmidt was the 2009 MPSF Player of the Year and team scoring leader (57 points).
CALIFORNIA (0-0 MPSF, 0-0 overall) visits UC Davis in a conference game on Feb. 20 to begin 2010. The '09 Golden Bears produced an 8-11 overall record and took second place in the MPSF regular season (4-2 record) and in the conference tournament. Returning are All-MPSF selections DennaFaye Herald and Alex Tickner for their final seasons at Cal. Tickner, also an MPSF All-Tournament team member, is coming off a breakout year in which she scored a career high in goals - leading the team with 35 - and ranked second with a career-high 40 points.
OREGON (0-0 MPSF, 0-0 overall) travels to Jacksonville to start the year on Feb. 13, before hosting St. Bonaventure in the home opener, Feb. 21. Coming off a 12-5 year and tying for second in the MPSF, the Ducks return a strong midfield in Jana and Jess Drummond, and 2008 MPSF Newcomer of the Year Alex Breiner.
UC DAVIS (0-0 MPSF, 0-0 overall) opens its season with an MPSF home game against California Feb. 20. The Aggies return their top three scorers from 2009, including senior center Britt Farquharson, who led the Aggies with 46 goals and 39 draw controls. Other top returnees include seniors Christina Corsa (31 goals and school record 29 assists), Gina Hoffmire (31 goals, 24 draw controls, 22 ground balls), and Molly Lapolla (21 goals, 21 assists). UC Davis finished 6-12 overall in '09, highlighted by a 16-14 upset of Denver to open the MPSF Tournament.
FRESNO STATE (0-0 MPSF, 0-0 overall) will play its first five games on the road, beginning Feb. 26 at La Salle. The Bulldogs return top '09 scorer in junior Heather Jack, who totaled 11 goals, 11 points, in addition to ranking second on the team with 18 ground balls. Senior Krisdina Gehring also returns, leading the team a year ago in groundballs (22) and caused turnovers (13).
LAUREN CICCOMASCOLO MPSF PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Denver sophomore midfielder Lauren Ciccomascolo (Ladera Ranch, CA/St. Margaret's Episcopal) scored four goals on five shots, while adding two assists, as the Pioneers earned a season-opening MPSF victory at St. Mary's, 18-5. She equaled a game-high of six points and also had a groundball.