The St. Lawrence women's lacrosse team will head to West Palm Beach, FL during the University's spring break for the opening three games of its 2012 season. The Saints square off with Nazareth on Tuesday, March 13 in the opener, followed by games on Thursday and Friday.

The Saints, who finished with a 6-10 record and 4-4 in Liberty League play in 2011, will be led by senior captains Margie Bailey, Kendall Harty, Paige Powell and Alanna Piroli this spring.

"The leadership of our four senior captains has been outstanding," said St. Lawrence head coach Jodi Canfield, who owns a 104-79 record in 12 years at the helm. "As a group, they've started nearly every game over their four years together and have both clear goals and direction of where to take this team."

Piroli is the leader of the Saints' offensive attack, coming off a 33-point junior year that landed the Black River, NY All-Conference Honorable Mention status. Piroli and junior Brigid Hurley headline the attack having each scored 24 goals in 2011, while sophomores Carly VanTassel and Abigail Horan will join newcomer Pegeen Stone in looking to make a splash this season.

"The attack is a very experienced group," said Coach Canfield, "and we expect them to provide quite a bit of fire power for us this spring."

St. Lawrence's midfield group is loaded with skill, talent and depth and is expected to be the cornerstone of the program in 2012. Bailey and Harty, who combined for 33 points in 2011, return alongside juniors Joey Kelley, Hanne Bailey, Stephanie O'Rourke, Blythe Crasto and Holly Noyes to anchor the unit.

Sophomores Parker Benedict and Kate Higgins are also expected to contribute throughout the season with first-year students Mackenzie Collins, Martha Hamlin, Soeurette Morley and Danielle Zimmer rounding out the midfield.

"Our midfield group is the deepest since I've been head coach," said Canfield. "It's a very versatile group that is both offensively and defensively skilled."

St. Lawrence boasts five defenders that will work to protect the cage in 2012, led by sophomores Regina Rogers and Tasha Cornell-Roberts. First-year students Michelle Goldberg, Tory Small and Anastasia Haseotes will also compete for playing time.

"Our defense is certainly our youngest group on the field," pointed out Canfield. "But we're excited about their intensity and style of play."

The Saints will have two new goaltenders this spring, one of which is a familiar face. Powell, who was a contributor in the midfield last year, moves between the pipes for her senior campaign. St. Lawrence also added first-year student Adden Cunningham to compete for the starting job.

"We've added Adden to the mix, and converted Paige from a midfielder to goaltender," explained Coach Canfield. "We are very excited about the athleticism that both have shown so far this spring."

After opening the year with six non-conference games, the Scarlet and Brown will opening the Liberty League regular season on April 6 at Skidmore. The home opener is scheduled for March 31 against Geneseo State.

"I expect another very challenging non-conference season which includes nationally-ranked Cortland State," said Canfield. "With Hamilton leaving the league, I believe the conference is wide open with the additions of RIT and Bard to the mix."

St. Lawrence will take on the Golden Flyers of Nazareth College at 11:00am on Tuesday. Their opponent on Thursday is to be determined before ending the Florida trip against Brockport State at 11:00am on Friday.