The field hockey team traveled to Lewisburg, Pa., to take on the Bucknell Bison this past weekend. In their first game of the season, several new faces dotted the field, as freshmen Jordan Lynn and Michelle Arfuso made their college debuts. The Wildcats showed their strength early in the game, as sophomore Lauren Wuzzardo put one in the net just 1:07 into the first half. Later in the second half, the sophomore duo of Dana Ramsden and Wuzzardo proved their dynamism when Ramsden scored a second goal for Villanova, assisted by Wuzzardo. A third member of the standout sophomore class, Maura McCormick, recorded her fourth career shutout against the Bison with five saves in goal in a 3-0 win for Villanova.

With just one senior on the roster this season, the sophomore class will undoubtedly be the strong force for the Wildcats. Last year, classmates Meg Ryan and Wuzzardo, who collectively scored 21 goals, led a solid offense.

As a freshman, Wuzzardo was Villanova’s leading scorer with 13 goals and four assists, and was subsequently named to the womensfieldhockey.com ’07 All-Rookie Squad, as well as the All-Big East Second Team. This season, the team hopes to improve upon that offensive dominance with the help of seven new players, two of which have joined the squad after a red-shirt year.

In the recent Big East Preseason Coaches’ Poll, the Wildcats were predicted to finish fifth in the Big East behind Connecticut, Syracuse, Louisville and Providence, respectively. Despite the slight drop in rankings from last season’s fourth-place tie with Syracuse at season-end, the team remains optimistic and confident that another successful season is on its way for the ‘Nova faithful.