WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Feb. 15) – After winning their first two games in program history last year, the Waynesburg University women's lacrosse team looks to take the next step in its progression towards being a winning program.

Under the guidance of head coach Chay Lahew, who goes into his second season at the helm of the program in 2010, the Yellow Jackets blew out Wilson College 15-4 for their first ever victory. The Jackets made it two in a row when they hosted Lancaster Bible College, beating the Chargers 17-5. Waynesburg finished the year with a 2-6 mark.

This year's Waynesburg squad will have to rely on a mix of new and old as just four starters are back. However, Lahew is excited about his first recruiting class, which features four players with high school playing experience. All four players are expected to start and contribute heavily to this year and beyond.

“They're going to be the lifeline of the team,” Lahew said. “I also expect them to do the majority of our scoring.”

The defense is pretty well set as senior Erin Mudrick, junior Kelsey Polizzano and sophomore Samantha Schutte all return. Their experience will be key as the Jackets break in a third goalkeeper in as many seasons. First-year sophomore Erin Burry and freshman Courtney Frain enter the 2010 season as the contenders for the job.

The midfield will see an infusion of young talent from three of the team's freshmen: Mandy Ormsby, Leah Bujaky and Molly Kramer. Ormsby brings a particularly impressive playing resume with her to Waynesburg. At Yough High School, Ormsby set the school scoring record with 158 goals, was named a WPIAL All-Star and earned second-team All-American honors. She was a four-year letter-winner for the Cougars. .

Another first-year player, Chelsea Puharic is expected to start right away as an attacker. Sophomore Samantha Swab is the only returning player with any points from last year (four on two goals and two assists) and she will likely start up front along with Puharic.

With their opener still weeks away, Lahew has seen some positive things from his team.

“I think skill-wise, we're better than we were last year at this point,” Lahew said. “Cardio-wise, we're not there yet, but the snow has hampered us in that. We're strong in the basic fundamentals of catching, throwing and ground balls. You don't necessarily have to be the best, but if the effort is there, you'll be alright. I'm liking the effort that even the players who haven't played before are showing.”

Another change for Waynesburg is in their schedule. After playing just eight games last year, Lahew has beefed up the Jackets' slate of contests for this year to the tune of 15 dates. After an opener scheduled for Feb. 27, Waynesburg will play their next five games in five different states: Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio and Michigan.

With the help of new assistant coaches Laurie Lindner and Eve Furay, Lahew is hoping to see small, but definite progress in the 2010 squad.

“We want to focus on the little things like getting better every game, as opposed to the wins and losses,” Lahew said.

The Jackets season is scheduled to get underway against Hood College at John F. Wiley Stadium.