Women’s lacrosse will be back on the field in less than a month, and the team is feeling optimistic coming out of preseason.

The Catamounts struggled last year going 1-15 for the season, but senior captain Courtney Cole said the team is looking strong.

“We got the opportunity to have several captain’s practices to shake out some nerves before we hit the ground running on Sunday,” Cole said.

Head coach Sarah Dalton is also confident about the team’s future.

“Coming off of a productive fall where we played our best in our final fall competition has us excited to begin the season and continue to build on our foundation,” Dalton said. “The energy is high in the weight room and on the field with conditioning.”

One of the main goals is to have consistency in their game from start to finish, she said.

The team wants to make it back to the American East Tournament and continue to build on the positive culture, Cole said.

“As a team, we want to continue to improve and build our relationships on and off the field to help our team dynamic and continue to push ourselves and each other to be the best team that we can be,” she said.

Both Cole and Dalton say the newcomers bring a lot to the table.

“They bring a lot of enthusiasm, energy and hard work,” Cole said.

The new players bring a competitive edge and raise the play from everyone around them, Dalton said.

The Cats have also acquired three transfer students; Dalton and Cole are excited about what these new players can add to the team.

Redshirt senior Alex Bernier, seniors Cole and Elena McWright, juniors Jenna Janes and Micaela O’Mara and sophomore Morgan Furbay are also important returners for the season, Dalton said.

The Cats are working on building and perfecting their offensive and defensive sets, Cole said.

“Colgate is always a good challenge for us,” she said. “They’ve always brought us great competition and I can’t wait to compete against them one last time.”

The team kicks off their season against Colgate noon Feb. 17 at Virtue Field.