via FSC press release

No. 7 Florida Southern College women’s lacrosse is ready to take on the 2022 slate which features ## games with 10 home contests to be played at Berend Field on campus. The Moccasins enter the 2022 season seventh in the country in the ILWomen/IWLCA preseason poll and were tabbed to finish first in the Sunshine State Conference coaches preseason poll.
 
“We are taking this year to reestablish our culture and get the traditions back underway. After having the past two seasons shortened due to CoVID, it is out hope to be able to play a full slate of games,” Head Coach Kara Reber expressed. “We will have a number of new players in the lineup throughout the season and we are looking forward to see who steps up to fill some big shoes that were lost to graduation.”
 
The Mocs are slated to play 16 regular season games featuring seven programs ranked in the IWLCA top-25 preseason poll. Florida Southern will host nine teams, for a 10 game home schedule at Berend Field. The 16 game slate breaks down to nine non-conference matchups and seven Sunshine State Conference tilts.
 
Reber continued, “We are excited we have the opportunity to play a lot of home games this season. The comfort of playing at home in front of the home crowd is huge for any program.”
 
Florida Southern’s roster is made up of 30 players including 23 from the 2021 season and features 10 senior, graduate student or fifth year student-athletes in 2022. Among those returning, between the pipes, the Mocs welcome back Patricia Werker and Brittany Iamele to help set the tone from the back line.
 
Coach Reber believes returners Patricia Werker, Brittany Iamele, Ally Louden, Abby Hammond, and Ryan Kelly will make a big impact to the team from the defensive end in addition to freshman Charlie Laye. “Patricia and Brittany are both fantastic goalies and will see time for us in goal. We are looking for Ally, Abby, and Ryan to step up and play a big role this year. I think we will see Charlie have a great season this year.”
 
Offensively, Florida Southern returns two of the top-three goal scorers from a year ago in Hailey Daleo and Lizzy Lynch and return Brenna Smith the leading scorer from the 2020 squad. Daleo, a 2022 USA Lacrosse Magazine Preseason All-American selection, and Lynch combined for 72 goals last year while Smith paced the team in 2020 with 26.
 
“Our captains, Abby Hammond, Patricia Werker, and Ally Louden, represent what Florida Southern women’s lacrosse is all about. Their great attitudes, incredible work ethics and doing what is best for the program are our hopes for all of our players. I am confident they will help in guiding our program to another successful year.”
 
Appearing in the NCAA postseason in five of the last eight seasons, Florida Southern has been a mainstay in postseason contention after earning the programs first national title in 2016, at the NCAA DII Festival in Denver, Colo. With a 7-4 record on the national stage, the Mocs have finished as national runners-up twice, which marked three-straight championship game appearances.
 
“We are trying to focus on one thing at a time. Do well in the conference regular season to make the SSC tournament. Then, we can reset our goals as a program after each step of the way.”
 
FSC owns nine Sunshine State Conference titles, six regular season and three tournament titles and will look to repeat as the SSC Champion at the end of 2022. Florida Southern was tabbed to finish first in the preseason poll with 45 total points and four of the eight first place votes, ahead of Rollins with three and Tampa with one.
 
Reber added Rachel Ortell, Brittany Rhodes, and Brenna O’Neill to the coaching staff for 2022. Ortell will serve as the goalie and defensive coach while Rhodes will focus on draw control, transition and mental health. O’Neill is a volunteer coach that will help with every facet of the program.
 
“The additions to our staff have been great. Ortell as a goalie coach brings a lot of experience to train our goalies and will work with the defensive unit. Brittany, while it’s her first time in the college realm, she’s done a great job working on mental skills with the team as well as the draw control and focusing on our transitions. Brenna is a volunteer that is very committed and dedicated to our team and will help us in all area.”
 
Ortell is a 2019 graduate of Lindenwood and concluded her career as the program’s all-time wins leader with a record of 59-6 in goal and was named the RMAC Goalie of the Year in each of her four seasons. The Ellicott City, Md. native earned four all-region selections as well as two All-American nods. Ortell joined the Mocs family after a season guiding Mount Saint Mary’s to a historic season with an NCAA tournament berth. 
 
Rhodes played collegiate lacrosse at Wilmington where she was an All-Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference honoree and was selected to the IWLCA All-Academic team and CACC All-Academic Team. The dual sport athlete in college is a native of Baltimore, Md. and joins the Mocs family after guiding the Elite Lacrosse Club for a number of years.
 
O’Neill is a volunteer for the Mocs as she is a doctorate of physical therapy at Florida Southern College after playing at Lebanon Valley College for four seasons. In four years, O’Neill played in 70 games as a midfielder for Dutchmen in the Middle Atlantic Conference. The Bel Air, Md. native scored 29 goals with 11 in her senior season and finished with 43 total points.
 
The Mocs open the 2022 slate with a non-conference matchup with SSC foe, No. 23 Saint Leo on Tuesday, Feb. 8 at 7:00 p.m. at Berend Field.