Feb. 19, 2013
BERKELEY -
Cal Lacrosse Game Notes 
Thursday, Feb. 21, at 1 p.m. PT
Cal (0-0, 0-0 MPSF) at James Madison (0-0, 0-0 Colonial Athletic Association)
University Park - Harrisonburg, Va.
Series Record: 1-2
Last Meeting: L, 13-9 (2/23/12 in Berkeley)
Coverage: Live stats
Saturday, Feb. 23, at 2 p.m. PT
Cal (0-0, 0-0 MPSF) at UMBC (1-0, 0-0 America East Conference)
UMBC Stadium - Catonsville, Md.
Series Record: 1-2
Last Meeting: W, 11-9 (3/30/08 in Catonsville, Md.)
Coverage: Live stats
Live video (subscription needed)
California's quest for its second MPSF title in school history begins with two road contests to start the 2013 season. Second-year head coach Ginger Miles will take her Golden Bears to the East Coast for the season opener at James Madison on Thursday, Feb. 21, at 1 p.m. PT, followed by a matchup at UMBC on Saturday, Feb. 23, at 2 p.m. PT.
Megan Takacs, the 2012 MPSF Player of the Year and 2013 co-captain, is back in action to lead the Bears on offense after missing the final three games of last season due to injury. Fellow senior and the other co-captain Sarah Milik will help boost a stingy Cal defense.
A Look at the 2013 Golden Bears
• Two of Cal's four members of the 2012 All-MPSF First Team - senior attackers Megan Takacs and Melissa Humphrey are back for 2012. Takacs and Humphrey were Cal's top two leading scorers last year with Humphrey posting 61 points (23 goals, 38 assists) and Takacs right behind wiht 60 points (53 goals, 7 assists). Four of Takacs' goals were gamewinners.
• Takacs led the Bears in draw controls (63), and also notched 13 ground balls and converted 11 of her 16 free-position shots.
• After spending the previous two seasons at Witter Rugby Field, the Bears will return to newly-renovated Memorial Stadium as their home venue.
• Senior attacker Alexa Rozelle and sophomore midfielder Gaby Christman are back after being named to the MPSF All-Tournament team in 2012.
• Junior Megan McGinnis will once again be Cal's starter in goal, after posting an 10.91 goals-against average in all 16 appearances last year.
• Ginger Miles begins her second season as head coach at Cal. She previously coached Claremont-Mudd-Scripps for two seasons, leading CMS to NCAA Tournament second-round appearances both years.
• Miles' 2013 staff includes the return of assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Allison Comito, an erstwhile NCAA champion and All-American at Maryland, and first-year assistant Lauren Schmidt, a former Stanford All-American who started all four years on The Farm and competed in two NCAA Tournaments with the Cardinal.
Cal Fourth in MPSF Preseason Rankings
In the 2013 MPSF Preseason Coaches' Poll, Cal garnered a fourth-place standing for the second consecutive season. The Golden Bears tallied 47 points in the poll. For the fourth straight year, Stanford topped the poll with 59 points and four first-place votes. Rounding out the top three were defending MPSF-champion Oregon with 55 points and three first-place votes and Denver in third with 53 points and two-first place votes.
Scouting James Madison
• 2012 Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year and IWLCA All-American Casey Ancarrow was named the 2013 CAA Preseason Player of the Year
• JMU was picked second in the CAA Preseason poll behind Towson
• Junior attacker Amy Roguski and sophomore goalkeeper Schylar Healy were named to the Preseason All-CAA team with Ancarrow
• Roguski paced the squad with 40 goals while Monica Zabel led the team in points with 79 (30 goals, 49 assists)
• Playing in 13 games in the cage as a freshman, Healy posted a GAA of 8.95 with a save percentage of .437
Scouting UMBC
• 2012 scoring leader senior midfielder Lindsay Cox is back after posting a team-best 50 points (42 goals, 8 assists) last season
• In UMBC's 2013 season opener last week, Cox and Alyssa Semones each tallied four goals in UMBC's 15-12 victory over American
• Sophomore attacker Abby Wilson posted 29 points (fourth on the team) with 22 goals and seven assists in 2012
• UMBC goalie senior Kendall Mason started 13 games last year, notching a GAA of 11.60 and a save percentage of .376
Takacs/Milik Named 2013 Team Captains
California second-year lacrosse head coach Ginger Miles announced a pair of seniors as team captains for the 2013 season, as voted on by the players. 2012 MPSF Player of the Year Megan Takacs and Sarah Milik will serve as the Golden Bears' team captains for the 2013 season.
Takacs, the 2012 MPSF Player of the Year, finished a 2012 breakout season as Cal's leader in goals (53), draw controls (63), game-winning goals (4) and free-position goals (11). She ranked second on the team in points (60) and now ranks sixth in school history for most points in a single season. She also set California's single-season goals record of 53 despite missing the Golden Bears' last three games due to injury. Takacs was also named to the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association West/Midwest Region First Team.
Milik, a 2012 MPSF All-Academic selection, participated in all 16 games last season, collecting 14 ground balls. Milik's leadership and experience will be invaluable this year for the Bears as she is the only senior defender on this year's squad.
Miles Inks 10 Newcomers For 2014 Season
Ginger Miles recently announced the signing of 10 recruits to National Letters of Intent. The future Golden Bears will join the program next fall.
Charlotte Biffar (midfield, Los Altos Hills, Calif.) Julie Crowell (Seal Beach, Calif.), Jena Fritts (attack, Darien, Ct.), Courtney Gielow (midfield, Parker, Colo.)
Megan Gray (defense, Alexandria, Va.), Bella Huther (attack/midfield, Arnold, Md.), Sara Nolte (defense, Encinitas, Calif.), Wheatley Raabe (defense, New Canaan, Ct.), Caroline Schlegel (midfield, Denver, Colo.), Nicole Vincelette (midfield/attack, Hillsborough, Calif.).
Next Time
Cal opens its home schedule at Memorial Stadium with four-game homestand starting with Saint Mary's on Tuesday, March 5, at 4 p.m.
Blogging Bears
Head coach Ginger Miles and Cal lacrosse student-athletes Casey Reid and Marissa O'Meally are blogging this year to give their fans some behind the scenes insight on the Cal lacrosse team. Miles' blog is called "Mondays With Miles" while the player blog is called "Roll on With Ris and Reid." Stay tuned to CalBears.com for new blog entries throughout the season.
Follow the Bears on Twitter; Like the Bears on Facebook
Looking for even more Cal lacrosse news? Join the Bears in their new territory - Facebook and Twitter. By liking Cal Lacrosse on Facebook, you can see photos, discuss the latest happenings with fellow fans and much more on the social networking site. Following @CalWLacrosse on Twitter means similar inside information, status updates of the Bears as well as up-to-date scoring information.
The Paparazzi
Like any of the pictures on CalBears.com? They are available for purchase! GoldenBearSports.com, the official photographer of the Cal Athletics Department, has game photos available for purchase on their Web site at GoldenBearSports.com. You can also follow @GBSports on Twitter or Like the GoldenBearSports page on Facebook to get instant notifications when new albums and galleries are posted to the website. Visit twitter.com/gbsports to follow.
