Last season's Lady Mustang laxers were placed among the Nassau County elite with a Conference I placement, but were not awed by their competition. Remaining in the top 12 (but realigning into smaller conferences), this year provides Mineola with the chance for more frequent wins while losing no ground in a second consecutive run at the post-season. Grizzled veteran varsity coach Frank Massaro adds Katherine Hock's collegiate national championship (Adelphi University) experience to his staff as they ready the girls for a successful season.

A strong junior class is the foundation for this season's hype. The team is keyed by a backline including All-Conference standouts Emily Glenn, who is "perhaps the best Mineola defender of all time," according to Massaro, and Caitlyn Taveira between the triangular pipes. Emily Kain will be the main scoring threat as Melissa Pastoressa and Mo Phelan are back from season-ending injuries suffered a year ago and hoping to rebound to freshman form. Unfortunately, hard luck marches on in the training room as spark plug Maryann Sanderleaf will miss the entire 2008 campaign as she recuperates from recent ACL surgery.

Underclasswomen will be counted on to make key contributions as Samantha Stavish will use her speed on offense and Heather Dolan will be a cog on defense. Senior leadership is provided by the likes of Vanessa Martins, Alyssa Napolitano and Lauren O'Neill. Five members of this season's roster are entrenched in travel lacrosse circles.

The girls face the best players in New York State (and the Nation) throughout their conference schedule and crossover matches. Two games are slated for the turf at Town of North Hempstead Park on Denton Avenue while artificial surface games will also be played on the road at Port Washington and Massapequa. The home confines of Hampton Stadium will be a critical venue for a four-game homestand in mid-April and a season-ending, three-game streak in early May.

The defensive-minded Lady Mustangs will rely on creating turnovers to generate much of their scoring punch. If the season plays out to coach Massaro's hunches, a semifinal berth in the playoffs is within reach. With a former college All-American at his side in Hock, Massaro may have the most complete unit in years. He is confident his team can compete at this level with players that have a passion for the sport, tremendous attitude for the game, an unparalleled work ethic in practice and camaraderie second to none. The future for Mustang Lady Lacrosse is clearly limitless.