Returning 18 players to a team that reached the championship game the year before is enough to make any coach eager to start the season. Roland Park Country School lacrosse coach Kristin Nicolini is no exception.
"This is a unique team," said Nicolini, who shares co-coaching duties with her sister, Reagan Koffel. "We have strong players all over the field."
The Reds lost to six-time defending champion McDonogh in the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference final last year by three goals and finished 16-5.
With eight returning starters and some outstanding newcomers, the Reds appear be in strong position to challenge McDonogh's reign.
"The leadership is the biggest strength of the team," Nicolini said. "We have 10 seniors to lead the team. This is a hard-working, tenacious group of seniors. They can handle pressure and motivate."
Midfielder Francesca Whitehurst is enough reason to predict good things for Roland Park.
The Georgetown University-bound senior racked up a team-high 75 goals last year and dished out 15 assists.
She also earned a spot on the 2015 U.S. under-19 women's lacrosse team.
"They take the best 18 players in the country," Nicolini said. "She elevates everybody else around her. She is definitely someone other teams take notice of. She has such a very-well rounded game. You could put her at midfield, attack or defense and trust her at anyone of those spots."
Junior midfielder Anna Hauser (Virginia) will be called up to complement Whitehurst at midfield after producing 14 goals and 17 assists last spring.
St. Paul's School for Girls transfer Sophie Furlong, a sophomore midfielder, should also help the offense.
Then there's senior returning attackers Jenna Janes (Vermont), Allison Kuhn (Quinnipiac) and Katie Clements (Roanoke) joining blossoming sophomore attackers Cameron McGee (Georgetown) and Marsie Salvatori (Stanford).
It appears as if it will be difficult to slow down the Reds even with the loss of CeCe Finey, an Under Armour All-American midfielder who had 63 goals last year.
"We are pretty balanced on attack," Nicolini said. "If you shut down one of two players, we have others capable of scoring."
Seniors Mary Diffenderfer, Megan Lynch (Towson University) and Jenna Baverman (Hofstra) give the defense a good combination of speed and experience in front of senior goalie Riley Brager (Monmouth).
"We have a lot of depth," Whitehurst said. "We have 10 seniors who are all great players. We have played together for a long time. It helps a lot, and I feel like being in the championship has given us a lot of energy and passion for this season."