Our team is very special this year. From the first day of practice, they have come back in shape and extra hungry to compete.  The team as a whole has made our lineup decisions more difficult, and that's a great thing as it will make us deeper and more versatile.  We have a lot of depth in our offense.  Stephanie Kelly and Sam McGee have stepped up as offensive leaders for us; in addition, Emma Murphy, Lauren Figura, Riley Delaney, Kaela Smith, and Alyssa Manley are all returning and working hard to make an impact on our offensive unit. 
 
You have a handful of newcomers to the roster this season...what do you expect from the newest Hawks?
 
As for our newcomers, I am excited for how Riley Evans, Emma O'Neil and Mallory Jubb have stepped up in the midfield. Lisa Ross has shown she can be a shifty attacker with the ability to find the back of the net.  In addition we are excited for both transfer goalkeepers, Mikala Davis and Mary Peticca, who have both come in ready to anchor our defense and make some big saves!
 
The program has had a sustained run of success in the Atlantic 10, reaching the semifinals the last four seasons...what do you think is the key to maintaining that into the 2020 season and beyond?
 
Our goal is to win the Atlantic 10 championship.  Every year our team is more and more hungry and each year I have been so proud of our teams as they continue to break program records.  As I mentioned, this year's team has been competing since the first day of practice in the fall.  This year's team has so much pride and love for each other. They see the opportunity are are hungry to compete. They are willing to put the work in to be successful and continue to take the program to new levels. 
 
You have some challenging non-conference games, including three against teams ranked in the preseason poll...how do these sorts of games prepare the team for conference play?
 
Our challenging non-conference games will help us prepare for our Atlantic 10 conference games, but are also on the schedule because I know we can compete and find success.  Having the opportunity to compete against teams in the top 20 as well as teams in Power 5 and top lacrosse conferences (Big Ten, Big East, CAA, Patriot League) is a challenge, but one that this year's team is prepared for.  In addition I think it is a great opportunity to compete against local Philadelphia lacrosse programs to keep up with the City 6 spirit and traditions. The Atlantic 10 is a competitive conference.  Playing these competitive games early will help us get that edge early in the season and prepare us as we pursue our goal of an A-10 championship.
 
What do you think are the highlights of the schedule this season?
 
I am excited for our schedule this season. There are going to be a lot of opportunities for our team to compete and dig deep as we continue to learn who we are. It will be important for us to focus and take one game at a time. We open up with Georgetown, which is an exciting opportunity to play against a very well-coached program ranked in the top 20.  Having three teams on our schedule ranked in the top 20 (Georgetown, Navy and Hopkins) will be great tests for our team.  In addition our A10 conference games are always exciting games especially as our team is preparing to win the A10 tournament.

Gametime against the Hoyas is set for 2:00 p.m. Saturday at Cooper Field in Washington, D.C.  The Hawks will then host Navy at 4:00 p.m. at Sweeney Field on Wednesday.