Thursday, February 27 | Lindenwood | Loretto, Pa. | DeGol Field | 3 p.m. | LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
 
OPENING DRAW 
Thursday's game between Saint Francis and Lindenwood marks the first meeting between the two teams. Saint Francis is 4-4 all-time against teams currently associated with the Atlantic Sun (2-0 vs. Kennesaw State; 1-0 vs. Coastal Carolina; 1-3 vs. Liberty; 0-1 vs. Stetson). Stetson was the last team from the ASUN the Red Flash played in 2023. Lindenwood is 2-0 against teams from the Northeast Conference thanks to a 17-7 win against Mercyhurst this season and a win against FDU in 2023. The Lions lost to Le Moyne in 2022 when both teams were in NCAA Division II.

FOR OPENERS AT HOME
Saint Francis will be looking to open its home schedule with a win for the first-straight time and the eighth time in program history (2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2023, 2024). The Red Flash has won consecutive home openers three times in team history (2010-11, 2015-16, 2023-24), but a win against the Penguins would mark the first time the team has won three-straight home openers.

THE WORD ON THE LIONS
Lindenwood comes into the contest 2-1 after falling at George Mason 16-11 on February 23. Luci Selander paced the Lions against the Patriots with five goals, while Alissa DiGiacinto had a hat trick and Isabella Rulapaugh dished out three assists. DiGiancinto (12 goals, two assists) and Selander (11 goals, three assists) are tied for the team-lead in points with 14. Reese Krieger is third with 10 goals for 10 points. Ryleigh Cavanaugh leads the team in draw controls (31) and Julia Bella is tops in ground balls (9) and caused turnovers (8). Aislinn Sweeney has 35 saves, a 12.62 goals against average and a .493 save percentage in 171:10 minutes.

LAST WEEKS ACTION
Brooke Lacey was money for Saint Francis with a career-high seven goals to power the Red Flash to a 17-11 victory against Duquesne on Saturday.  Christina Roncarati and Samatha Hewitt registered four goals and an assist. Elizabeth Garcia paced the Red Flash defense with five ground balls, four caused turnovers, and two draw controls. The win was the first for head coach Morgan Gott, who took over the reins in 2025.

NEXT TIME OUT 
Saint Francis will make its first-ever trip to play Charlotte on March 4 before traveling to Kent State on March 7 in its final prep before starting NEC play.

NEC WEEKLY HONORS 
Saint Francis swept the NEC weekly awards after posting its first-ever win against Duquesne on February 22. Junior Brooke Lacey was named the NEC Player of the Week, sophomore Elizabeth Garcia earned NEC Defensive Player of the Week, and freshman Samantha Hewitt took NEC Rookie of the Week honors for February 17-23. It is the third time the Red Flash has swept all three awards in the last three seasons. Lacey registered a career-high seven goals to power Saint Francis to a 17-11 win against the Dukes. Garcia registered four caused turnovers, five ground balls, and two draw controls against the Dukes. Two of her caused turnovers that led to Saint Francis's goals on the offensive end. Hewitt registered a career-high four goals and one assist to power Saint Francis to its first-ever win against the Dukes. Lacey, Garcia and senior Christina Roncarati were named NEC Prime Performers. Roncarati registered a career-high four goals and one assist against Duquesne.

Lacey became the 12th different player to earn NEC Player of the Week honors and marked the 21st time a Red Flash player has been named NEC Player of the Week. Lacey also becomes the second player in program history selected as both NEC Player and Defensive Player of the Week in her career. The junior was named NEC Defensive Player of the Week on March 31, 2024, joining Autumn McHenry as the only other player in program history to earn both distinctions. Garcia becomes the ninth player to earn the NEC Defensive Player of the Week honor and the 14th time a player has earned the honor. Hewitt is the 15th player in program history to earn top Rookie of the Week honors and for the 22nd time in program history. 

Lacey earned her third NEC Prime Performer, while Garcia and Roncarati each earned their first Prime Performer selection. Julia Givens and Mak Patten received Prime Performer status for February 10-16. Givens has six NEC Prime Performers in her career after earning the distinction twice as a freshman in 2023 and three times last season. Coughlin has a pair of selections, and Patten has one.

Heather Delbone was selected as the NEC Rookie of the Week for February 10-16. Delbone registered three goals and an assist in her first two collegiate games of her career. Givens and Patten were named NEC Prime Performers for the week. Givens tallied five goals, four caused turnovers, three draw controls, and a caused turnover in the opening week for the Red Flash. Patten, who came into the season with three goals and three assists, nearly surpassed the point total in her first two games of her junior season. The junior tallied a goal and five assists for the Red Flash in the two games in Ohio.

PRESEASON POLL
The Saint Francis women's lacrosse team has been tabbed to finish fifth, according to the Northeast Conference (NEC) preseason poll. LIU was selected as the unanimous preseason favorite, while Stonehill, Le Moyne, Wagner, Saint Francis, FDU, CCSU Delaware State, Mercyhurst, and Howard round out the 10-team poll. Mercyhurst is in its first year in the NEC.

A DAVID PUDDY HIGH-FIVE
Junior Brooke Lacey registered a career-high seven goals against Duquesne on February 22. Senior Nancy Alden is the only other player on the roster to have at least a five-goal game with her five-tally performance at Kent State on March 13, 2024.

HATTIES 
Junior Julia Givens leads the team with nine career hat tricks, including a four-goal performance against Youngstown State on February 16. Junior Brooke Lacey has four hat tricks in her career, while senior Nancy Alden and has three hat tricks in their career.Senior Christina Roncarati has two after recording a four-goal performance in her freshman and senior campaigns. Junior Victoria DiRenno and freshman Samantha Hewitt have also registered at least three tallies in a game once in their career.

MILESTONE ALERT 
Senior Taylor Coughlin is seventh for career saves with 201 to become the seventh player in team history to reach 200 stops. She can move into sixth place with 49 stops. Coming into the season, Coughlin is the program's all-time leader in goals against average (11.90).
 
Senior Chyler Espino is just outside the Top-10 in draw controls (81), caused turnovers (36) and ground balls (74). The senior needs one draw, 10 caused turnovers and 10 ground balls to join the Top-10 in each category. The senior had 10 draw controls against FDU on April 19, 2023 for the sixth-most in a single game in team history and the 13th time in program history it occurred.

COLLEGIATE FIRSTS
Freshman Heather Delbone notched the first goal of the season against Akron on February 11 for her first collegiate goal. Fellow freshman Samantha Hewitt notched her first collegiate score against Youngstown State on February 16. Junior Mak Patten assisted with both tallies. Delbone, Hewitt, Bella Teche, and Lily Robertson saw their first collegiate action as a member of the starting lineup, while Lani Filoon came off the bench for her first collegiate action against Akron.

AYE, AYE, CAPTAIN 
Seniors Taylor Coughlin and Chyler Espino, and junior Brooke Lacey have been elected team captains for the 2025 season. Senior Victoria DiRenno, junior Julia Givens and Elizabeth Mahmud have been named to the Leadership Council.

RETURNING ALL-NEC PERFORMERS 
Senior Chyler Espino returns in 2025 for her senior season after being injured in the first game of the 2024 season at Oregon. Espino was an All-NEC first-team performer in her sophomore campaign. Junior Julia Givens was an All-NEC second-team recipient in 2024.

WELCOME TO THE LO' 
Saint Francis women's lacrosse head coach Morgan Gott has added 11 newcomers to the team in 2025. Sophomore Elizabeth Garcia, and freshmen Kayla Adam, Heather Delbone, Lani Filoon, Samantha Hewitt, Mackenzie Metzger, Sav Musto, Lily Robertson, Bella Tesche and Calyssa Yankow joined the Red Flash for the 2025 campaign. Garcia and Robertson transferred to Saint Francis for the spring semester. Gott also added assistant coach Craig Lowery to the team.
 
FROM THE GREAT WHITE NORTH 
Saint Francis has four players who hail from Canada: Seniors Olivia Baldini (Hamilton, Ontario) and Taylor Coughlin (Hespeler, Ontario), junior Mak Patten (Welland, Ontario), and freshman Sav Musto (Stouffville, Ontario). Both goalkeepers (Coughlin and Musto) are from Canada.

ABOUT THE COACH 
Head coach Morgan Gott is in her first season in Loretto after serving as an assistant coach for the last two seasons. She registered her first career win as a head coach thanks to a 17-11 victory against Duquesne on February 22, 2024. In 2023, she helped the Red Flash has set a program record for overall wins (10), conference wins (5), longest winning streak (6) and clinched the program's first-ever NEC Tournament appearance. In the two seasons as an assistant coach, Gott helped the Red Flash to an 18-14 overall record and a 12-6 record in NEC play and the first two NEC Tournament appearances in program history.