Feb. 12, 2003

DAVIS, Calif. -- On Mothers' Day weekend of 2002, when West Chester, Longwood, Stonehill and LIU-C.W. Post were battling for the NCAA Division II women's lacrosse title, the Aggies were at home ­ hardly befitting for a team that ranked No. 3 in the national coaches' poll and that had gone undefeated against its D-II opponents.

As the only D-II lacrosse school on the West, UC Davis had few opportunities to play the top teams in the South region. The Aggies beat 2001 champion C.W. Post in a memorable 9-8 battle, then swept through North region members East Stroudsburg, Adelphi and Lock Haven. However, without more region games on the schedule, UC Davis was unable to build its case for a berth in the national tournament.

The solution for 2003: take on the best, and hopefully, beat the best.

"We need to play the strongest teams in Division II. One of the rewards is that we could make the playoffs," says UC Davis head coach Elaine Jones, who earned Coach of the Year honors by Warrior/Inside Lacrosse in her rookie season last year. "If we don't play them, we won't know. We realize it's a challenge. It can make or break us."

As such, the Aggies enter a season in which they will face three of the four participants at last year's nationals. The first of two Atlantic trips begins with a game against Longwood (Va.), last year's runner-up and the nation's No. 1-ranked team by the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association. Two weeks later on April 11, UC Davis will face West Chester (Pa.), the defending NCAA champion and the IWLCA No. 2-ranked team. Additionally, the Aggies host Stonehill (Mass.) on Mar. 14 and travel to Pfeiffer (N.C.) on Mar. 30. Both opponents finished among the top 10 last season.

UC Davis will not assume this challenge without proper arsenal. The team returns its top three scorers from 2002 in senior attack wings Kelly Albin (32 goals) and Jaime Fitzpatrick (26), and junior second home Leslie Kado (15). Albin earned first team All-America honors by both the IWLCA and Warrior/Inside Lacrosse, while Fitzpatrick and Kado each won national Player of the Week honors at different times in 2002.

"We have a good transition offense because they all worked with each other last year," Jones says. "Last year's new people have stepped up their game. There will be other people who are able to contribute this year."

Two more seniors, Kate Hanson and Erin Mann, will provide their skills and leadership on their respective sides of the field. Hanson scored 11 goals and was the team's most efficient shooter (.407) last season. Mann, selected as her team's defensive MVP, is one of the most intimidating back-line players in program history.

The other half of the Aggies' schedule consists of opponents in the Mountain Pacific Lacrosse League, all of which are NCAA D-I programs. UC Davis opens its 2003 season on February 15 with a home contest against Stanford, last year's MPLL champion. The Aggies then take on Saint Mary's and Denver during the weeks that follow, and end the regular season with UC Berkeley and Saint Mary's again.

"Stanford is a tough game to open the season, but it's a good one," says Jones. "It's a nice gauge of where we need to go, to see how to prepare for the rest of the season. We're looking to slow down their transition and make them work for their goals."

Saturday's game against the Cardinal takes place at 1 p.m. on Aggie Field.