Goalie guides Hofstra women's lacrosse in 2012

Hofstra women's lacrosse goalkeeper Jaclyn Pandolf played in every second of every game last season. Then she underwent surgery. Perfect timing.

Pandolf had been experiencing pain in her left wrist, but not enough to ask out of the lineup. "I just taped it up for the rest of the season," she said. "I enjoyed playing every minute. Having that opportunity really helped my play. I didn't have that option to even think that 'oh, I don't feel like playing today.' That never even crossed my mind. It was like, 'this is what you have to do and you're going to do it no matter how you feel.' "

Pandolf, a 5-3 senior who played at Sachem North High School, said the wrist had torn cartilage and that it was repaired over the summer. She missed most of fall practice.

"I sat and watched and was able to run,'' she said. "I put fitness as my priority. That will hopefully help my game this year."

At Hofstra, the game revolves around Pandolf, who led the CAA with a .491 save percentage. "Jackie is like the wall back there," midfielder Jill Maier said. "Everything goes through her and everything comes back to her. We all look up to her; she is like our mom on the field. We run everything through her. Even when we are on attack, people go back and talk to her as well."

Coach Abby Morgan said of Pandolf, "We know she is going to be a solid save goalie. She makes some of the crazy ones you need, but you know that she's going to make some of the saves that she makes every day. That's the type of goalie we haven't had in quite a while. In our game now in women's lacrosse, averaging 25 to 30 shots a game, that's a lot to face. She is one who really works hard at her craft. She has increasingly gotten quicker."

Pandolf will have to be at the top of her game this season because Hofstra has a young defense. "We preach to them that we have to be great on both sides of the ball," Morgan said. "We have a lot of returnees [on offense]. That doesn't mean that the defense gets a pass."

Definitely not, Pandolf said.

"Our offense is a lot stronger,'' she said, "but our defense is going to have to realize that we're going to have to make stops and put a lot more effort into everything. We are also going to rely on our middies coming back and playing defense."

Hofstra was picked fourth in the Colonial Athletic Association preseason poll. Pandolf has a loftier goal, saying, "We want to make a run at the CAA and then on to the NCAAs."

HOFSTRA AT A GLANCE

Last season: 6-10.

Coach: Abby Morgan (sixth season, 47-38).

Players to watch

Attack: Claire Brady (15, 17), Jenn Ward (15), Jackie Ardolino (12), Lindsay McKinnon (12).

Midfielder: Jill Maier (37 goals, three assists).

Goalkeeper: Jaclyn Pandolf.

Schedule

Feb. 18 at Colgate, 3 p.m.

Feb. 22 at Fairfield, 3 p.m.

Feb. 25 at Boston, 1 p.m.

March 1 at Drexel, 4 p.m.

March 4 Maryland, 1 p.m.

March 10 Rutgers, noon.

March 14 Penn State, 3 p.m.

March 23 at Denver, 12:30 p.m.

March 25 at Cal-Berkeley, noon

March 29 Ohio State, 4 p.m.

April 6 at James Madison, 5 p.m.

April 8 at George Mason, noon

April 13 at Towson, 7 p.m.

April 15 Delaware, 1 p.m.

April 20 Old Dominion, 5 p.m.

April 22 William & Mary, 1 p.m.