When student-athletes commit to play women's lacrosse at Colorado College, they understand there will be an abundance of opportunities to compete against many of the best teams in the country with the ultimate goal of playing for a national championship.
 
After being denied some of those on-field opportunities during back-to-back pandemic-shortened seasons, the Tigers are energized to make up for lost time during the 2022 season, starting this weekend with a pair of road games in Memphis, Tenn.
 
While CC's streak of four consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse Championship was temporarily suspended, the Tigers will face that level of competition against seven opponents who did compete in last year's tournament, beginning with back-to-back games against Rhodes College and Illinois Wesleyan University on Friday and Saturday.
 
Colorado College believes it has a roster built to add another chapter to the program's championship culture, which includes 11 NCAA appearances and a trip to the national semifinals in 2005.
 
The Tigers return almost everyone from last year's team and welcomes back key players from the 2020 squad that saw its season cut short after just five games. CC also adds a talented group of newcomers that will challenge for playing time in every zone of the field.
 
Junior goaltender Natalie Slade, a second-team IWLCA selection and first-team all-SCAC choice, posted a 6-2-0 record along with a 7.58 goals-against average and .495 saves percentage in her first season as a starter.
 
Senior captain Natalie Schluter, a first-team all-SCAC selection, helped anchor the Colorado College defense that allowed just 7.76 goals per game last year. She tied for the team lead with a career-high 23 ground balls and tied for sixth with six caused turnovers, which matched her career best.
 
A first-team all-SCAC selection, junior Bella Scola was a force in all three zones last season and will play both in the midfield and on the attack in 2022. Scola ranked fourth in the SCAC and second on the team with 20 goals, as well as fourth among the Tigers with 22 points. She also tied for second on the team with eight caused turnovers, was fourth with 12 draw controls and tied for 10th with nine ground balls.

A trio of midfielders – juniors Olivia Dossett and Delia Freliech, along with sophomore Hayley Heinecken – earned honorable-mention all-SCAC honors a year ago, while sophomore attacker Courtney Zell also was recognized by the conference.
 
Sophomore attacker Bridget Hanley was named the SCAC Rookie of the Year and a first-team all-conference selection. She led the Tigers with 19 assists, was second with 29 points and finished sixth with 10 goals. Hanley set the program record with 11 points and matched the standard of eight assists in the 22-0 win over the University of Dallas.

Notably missing from the list of returning players is 2021 SCAC Offensive Player of the Year and first-team all-region selection Bella Beattie, who is unavailable due to a medical situation. Beattie led the Tigers with career highs of 27 goals and 36 points, and was third with nine assists. She also led the Tigers with a career-high 15 caused turnovers and tied for the team lead with a career-best 23 ground balls.
 
The loss of Beattie will be mitigated by the return of senior attacker Maggie O'Donnell, who was named an honorable-mention All-American by Inside Lacrosse in 2020 and well as a first-team all-West Region selection by the IWLCA in 2019. During her debut season, O'Donnell ranked second on the team with 40 assists and 83 points, and third with 43 goals. Her 83 points are a freshman record.
 
The Tigers also have added an extremely talented and versatile group of newcomers. Sophomore Devan Ortman, a transfer from Fresno State, is expected to see significant playing time as a midfielder.
 
That group will be bolstered by the addition of multi-sport athletes Healy Bledsoe and Zoe Tomlinson, each of whom participated in fall ball, but are currently competing as members of the Colorado College women's basketball team.  
 
After returning from its season-opening road contests, Colorado College an eight-game home stand that includes more games against NCAA Tournament teams, nationally-ranked opponents and West Region rivals.
 
The last week of March features highly-anticipated back-to-back road contests against Hamline University and the University of Chicago. Then the Tigers go coast-to-coast for games at long-time rivals Pomona-Pitzer and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps during the first week of April, and the following week they head to the East Coast for games at Cabrini University and Montclair State University.
 
Following games against the University of Wisconsin La Crosse and UW River Falls on Saturday, April 23, CC returns home to host the SCAC Championship at Washburn Field.
 
If the Tigers can hold their own against a full schedule for the first time since 2019, the reward could be an opportunity to make another long run in the NCAA Tournament.