After a season mixed with the joys of winning and the agony of injuries, the Siena Heights University women’s lacrosse team is looking to stay healthy on its quest to its first national tournament appearance in program history.

Last season, the Saints entered the season as the ninth-ranked team in the nation. They started off with an 8-3 record before dropping their final three games of the season en route to an 8-6 finish and a missed opportunity in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference playoffs and a national tournament berth.

Only the top two finishers from each conference get invited to the national tournament, which makes it extremely difficult for the Saints given that five of the six teams in the WHAC are ranked top 10 nationally.

“We made it up to number five nationally, last season,” head coach Cindy Hill said. “The problem is we had a lot of injuries. We didn’t have a lot of subs, and by the end of the season, I think they were just worn out. Up until midway through the season we were beating everyone, and that’s when we got up to number five. But I think towards the end of the season, we just got worn out and started to drop the close games we were winning at the beginning of the season.”

This year, first things first: the Saints need to remain healthy.

“We need to stay healthy and make sure that we work better as a team while continuously growing,” said senior captain Sydney VanHoose.

VanHoose joins a long list of returning players expected to make an impact this year for the Saints. Her experience and overall presence will be crucial for SHU defensively.

“VanHoose can get on any team’s lead scorer and shut them down,” Hill said.

Another key returner is junior Tabitha Ferguson, the lone goal-keeper for the Saints. In her first two years with the program, Ferguson was named the WHAC Defensive Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons with a career save percentage of .450.

“Last season went well for how many injuries we had,” Ferguson said. “To continuously improve, we need to work on good, patient passes offensively, while defensively we need to improve our communication.”

In addition to the returning cast, Coach Hill is also confident her first-year players will make a direct impact on the field.

“We have three new players this year,” she said. “Alysa Grove and Haley Parker were injured last year and are finally going to get their chance. They are really good offensive players. We also have a freshman, Sam Pawlowski, who will be a really good midfield scorer for us.”

The Saints start their schedule with a couple of tough opponents in Centre (Ky.) and Missouri-Baptist on a four-game spring break road trip before their first home contest March 16 against WHAC foe Lawrence Tech.

“Centre is going to be a chore for our first game,” Hill said. “That same trip we’ll be in the St. Louis area to play Missouri-Baptist, and if we can beat them, we will really be able to move up in the polls.”

If the Saints can limit the injury bugs that plagued them last year, Hill said she is confident her team has the talent to produce their best season yet in the program’s brief five-year history.

“We’ll have a strong defense and a lot of people that can score. Hopefully that will get us to where we want to be,” she said. “Our goal is to make the WHAC playoffs and go to nationals.”