USF women’s lacrosse preps for debut season: ‘Trying to create wins’

Sophomore attacker Sofia Chepenik looks to score against a Saint Leo defender in an October 2023 exhibition match. USF ATHLETICS PHOTO

USF women’s lacrosse will make its debut on Friday when it takes on Kennesaw State.

As the Bulls prepare for its inaugural season, coach Mindy McCord said she wants the team to be more than just another program on campus.

“We want that fan engagement, we don’t want to just be something that comes up,” McCord said at a recent interview. “We want to walk around campus, be in places, and get to know people.”

Fans will have plenty of opportunities to see USF in action this season, with 11 of their 16 games taking place at Corbett Stadium.

The Bulls were picked to finish fifth out of seven teams in the conference in the preseason rankings.

With McCord at the helm, here are some key factors in South Florida’s first year in program history.

The McCord’s

McCord brings a wealth of experience to USF. Before she was hired at USF in May 2022, she built a championship program as the head coach for Jacksonville University.

Related: USF’s Alison Harbaugh’s unique family legacy: ‘Hardest working people I know’

Under her leadership, the Dolphins won 11 straight regular season titles in the Atlantic Sun Conference. 

Jacksonville also made eight NCAA tournament appearances during her tenure, including an upset win versus Stanford in May 2022 before she left to coach the Bulls.

McCord will bring her ‘run and gun’ offense to South Florida, a scheme she likened to playing “basketball on a 120-yard field.” McCord said the team’s style of play makes the viewing experience interesting for fans.

“When we’re sports fans, and we watch games when the momentum shifts, good or bad, it’s intriguing,” McCord said. “I think you see a lot of energy and excitement.”

McCord has credited the offensive strategy to her husband, Paul McCord. Paul served as McCord’s assistant with the Dolphins, a role he has again taken with the Bulls.

Under the fast-paced offensive system, Jacksonville set historical numbers. McCord’s 2018 Dolphins team holds the all-time NCAA Division I record for scoring offense, with a mark of 18.45 points per game.

Players to watch

Redshirt freshman Ansley Knor defends against the U20 Scotland National team in  a Feb. 2024 exhibition match. USF ATHLETICS PHOTO

USF landed two players on the American Athletic Conference (AAC) preseason team, redshirt sophomore attacker Sofia Chepenik and redshirt freshman defender Ansley Knor.

 Chepenik will be one of the players leading McCord’s uptempo offense. She previously played at Clemson, and she stuffed the stat sheet in her lone season with the team. 

Chepenik tallied 53 points for the Tigers, while leading all Atlantic Coast Conference freshmen in goals and assists in 2023. For her efforts, she was named to the 2023 All-ACC Freshman team.

Knor makes an appearance on the preseason team without having logged a single minute in collegiate lacrosse.

The Georgia native racked up state awards during her time in high school. Knor earned a defensive MVP nod in 2021, and was named to consecutive all-state teams in 2021 and 2022.

Conference Slate 

South Florida will compete in the American Athletic Conference (AAC) , a league that McCord called “one of the top three in the country”. 

Five of the seven teams in the AAC finished with a winning record, including James Madison. 

The Dukes earned a berth in the NCAA tournament in 2024 and advanced to the second round. The team finished with a top 25 ranking at the season’s conclusion, ranking at No.19.

The Bulls’ other six conference matches include home games versus Temple, Vanderbilt and Old Dominion. 

On the road, USF will face James Madison, Charlotte and East Carolina.

Interstate battle

During its inaugural season, the Bulls will face one of women’s lacrosse’s winningest teams when they take on Florida on Feb. 18.

During its 13 year program history, the Gators have dominated conference play. UF has captured 11 regular season titles, four of which they won during their time in the AAC.

The Gators compiled a 20-3 record in 2024 to go along with an AAC championship . UF also made the NCAA tournament final four last year, and finished with a No. 7 ranking at the season’s end.

The game will not count towards USF’s conference record, as Florida will compete in the Big 12 this year.

As the Bulls gear up to take the field officially for the first time, McCord said the team is ready to prove themselves.

“We’re not developmental anymore, we’re not in an exhibition season,” McCord said. “We’re trying to create wins.”

USF will make its debut versus Kennesaw State at 7 p.m. on Friday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN +.