The Butler women's lacrosse team opens the 2019 campaign Thursday, hosting the Duquesne Dukes at 3 p.m. All home matches for the Bulldogs will be played at Varsity Field.

This is Butler's third year as a varsity program and head coach Cecil C. Pilson is excited to compete in the newly updated BIG EAST Conference.

The Bulldogs open their BIG EAST season on March 30, hosting the Georgetown Hoyas at Noon. Butler makes the trip to Old Dominion for the first time as the Monarchs were added to the BIG EAST for the 2019 season. Butler's primary goal for the season is to qualify for the BIG EAST Tournament in Milwaukee, Wisc.

The Bulldogs also look to take things one game at a time in 2019.

"We are making sure that we are trying to win the hustle stats," Pilson said. "If you can get the draw controls and you can get the ground balls, if you can get those stats alone, the goals will just happen."

Butler's dynamic attack will be a big factor in achieving these goals, with two of the top goal scorers returning in Haley Hallenbeck and Ashley Guerra.

Guerra led the team in points (33) and assists (12) during her rookie campaign. The attacker was also tied for the team lead in goals with 21. She played in all 17 games for the Bulldogs and notched 44 shots during the 2018 season.

Senior Captain Hallenback also tallied 21 goals, including scoring at least one goal in seven straight games. The attacker from Indianapolis took a team-high 56 shots, 43 of which were on goal.

Karina Latsko will play a role in the Bulldog attack during her sophomore season. As a freshman, the attacker scored 10 goals and tallied four assists. Sydney Pattison, Captain Adilyn Smith, and Madeline Hooks will also see significant time in the attack.

The midfield returns experience for the Bulldogs, with Elizabeth Davide, Ashley Lizzi, and Ashley Steffes. Davide played in 16 games a season ago for Butler, scoring five goals and notching four assists. The junior also picked up 18 ground balls and won 31 draw controls, second most on the team. Lizzi and Steffes both had solid fall seasons for the Bulldogs and will make an impact for the Bulldogs in the spring.

With 11 freshman on the team, Pilson expects to see many of them plug into the midfield for the Bulldogs. Holly Hall, Lindsey Schreiber, and Layla Tattersfield are expected to see time for Butler in the midfield after great fall seasons.

Captains Carly Hewitt and Jordan Fischbach anchor a mature defense for the Bulldogs. Hewitt played in 16 games for Butler, leading the team in ground balls (29) and caused turnovers (19). Fischbach caused 12 turnovers and picked up 27 ground balls during her junior season.

Mary Davide tied for the team lead in ground balls a season ago with 29 and is expected to make an impact defensively for the Bulldogs in 2019. Nora Byrne, Lindsey McShea, and freshman Sarah Dickinson will also see time on the Butler defense.

The Bulldogs return Amanda Rumsey in the cage for 2019. Rumsey posted a .362 save percentage a season ago, making 80 saves. Newcomer Katie McGrath will also see time in goal.

The full 2019 women's lacrosse season can be found here. For updates on the Butler women's lacrosse team, follow them on Twitter @ButlerWLacrosse.