ECU Lacrosse Starts Practice For 2019 Season

GREENVILLE, N.C. – With the turning of the calendar to 2019, the ECU women's lacrosse team began its preparations for the second season of program history with its opening practice on Monday afternoon.

"The first day is so exciting," said head coach Amanda Barnes Moore. "It's so exciting to see all of their faces after a long Christmas break and get back out there and knock the rust off."

The Pirate lacrosse program took to the field for the first time during the 2018 season and finished its inaugural year with a 2-15 record. The team was named an UWLCA Zag Sports Academic Honor Squad following the conclusion of the season.

Unlike the 2018 squad which had just two players with collegiate lacrosse experience, this year's team returns 17 players from last season while adding in 12 talented newcomers. Of the 17 returners, the Pirates bring back eight of their top 10 scorers.

"Just having people that have been through this college experience and the experience of knowing what to expect and being able to lead and mentor our current freshmen class has made a huge difference in what we're able to do as a staff," Barnes Moore said. "Instead of it always coming from us, it can come from the leaders on the team and we as coaches can focus on coaching more."

Monday's practice was the first since the conclusion of the fall season. During that fall campaign, the Pirates took part in three exhibitions, including hosting Campbell. ECU also traveled to Virginia Tech, where the Pirates battled Davidson, Virginia Tech and Radford as well as competing at the Duke Play Day.

The 2019 season will be the first season that the American Athletic Conference will sponsor women's lacrosse. The six member conference consists of ECU, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Temple, Vanderbilt and the University of Florida and will culminate in the inaugural AAC Championship, which will be hosted by Cincinnati in May.

"I can't wait to be in a conference, compete for a conference championship and have that as motivation going into a postseason," added Barnes Moore. "Just the thought of postseason play really excites and motivates me and the rest of our team."

ECU will begin its spring slate on Friday, Feb. 8 when the Pirates host Winthrop inside Johnson Stadium. It will be the first of nine home games for ECU.

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