After a much-needed fall break, the top 16 countdown continues of Guilford College’s greatest sport teams. This week we take a look at the 2008 women’s lacrosse team.2007 was a growing year for our lady Quakers on the lacrosse field. The team managed eight wins out of 17 matches while posting a 4-4 record in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC). This was a confidence building year for a squad that had won no more than five matches in the past five seasons.
With this year of improvement under their belt, head coach Matthew Grosso looked to a well-balanced group of young, hungry players to excel alongside his experienced upperclassmen. The results from that year speak for themselves.
The 2008 team posted a school record nine wins that season, tied only with the 1992 team. The team was led by captains Jordan Clodfelter ’08, Kelly Gonzalez ’08, and Mary Hutchins ’08. All three captains were multiple letter winners.
Clodfelter scored four goals and contribute one assist in three different games that year. This kind of constant performance, from a player who started every game of her career, earned her second Team All-ODAC honors for a third consecutive year.
Gonzalez finished second on the team on caused turnovers, a statistic that deserves more praise then what is usually given. She ended her career ranked third all time in the same category.
Hutchins received First Team All-ODAC honors for the second time in her college career. She had an eight-point match in which she racked up four goals and four assists over ODAC rival Sweet Briar on April 9. Her competitive fire helped her to be the team’s top scorer not only in her senior year, but in all four seasons she played for the Quakers. Hutchins ended her career as the all-time leader in points and assists.
The 2011 women’s lacrosse team returns 14 letter winners and looks to right the ship from last year’s overall record of 9-15. They will get the chance to make adjustments before league play when they face off against High Point University on Nov. 1, with regular- season action coming later in February.