Women's Lacrosse 3/25/2025 10:00:00 AM

Saint Francis Women's Lacrosse Set To Host Two NEC Games This Week

OPENING DRAW
Wednesday will be the first-ever meeting between Saint Francis and Mercyhurst, while Saturday's tilt against Stonehill will be the fourth meeting in the series dating back to the 2023 season. The Skyhawks won both meetings last season in Massachusetts, but the Red Flash took the only battle in Loretto in the inaugural match between the two teams.

MORGAN'S MESSAGE AGAINST STONEHILL
Saint Francis is joining Stonehill in dedicating Saturday's game to the life and legacy of Morgan Rodgers, a former Duke University lacrosse student-athlete who died tragically in July 2019 after battling mental health struggles. Although Morgan's life was cut too short, her legacy of unconditional love remains. Her family and former teammates created Morgan's Message with the mission to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health, normalize the conversations about mental health, and ensure that mental health is treated equally to physical health for all student-athletes. For more information on Morgan's life and legacy and how you can help those with mental health struggles, please visit www.morgansmessage.org

THE WORD ON THE LAKERS
Mercyhurst comes into the contest 1-5 overall and 1-1 in Northeast Conference play after falling 18-10 at Stonehill on Saturday. The Lakers earned their first Division I win with a 15-13 victory against Howard on March 15. Emma Cimino and Whitley Easton each had three goals in the match against Stonehill. Easton leads the team with 22 goals and 12 assists for 34 points. Hannah Young is second with four goals and nine assists for 13 points, while Emma Cimino is third with 11 tallies for 11 points. Amanda Bailey powers the team in draw controls (27), Ellie Schau in caused turnovers (9), and Easton in ground balls (10). Maggie Allen has 38 saves, an 18.77 goals against average, and a .358 save percentage in 217:20 minutes, while AJ Jameson has 21 stops, a 16.82 goals against average, and a .344 save percentage in 142:40 minutes of work.

THE WORD ON THE SKYHAWKS
Stonehill, who travels to CCSU on Wednesday, enters the week 4-5 overall and 2-0 in NEC play after defeating Mercyhurst 18-10 on Saturday. Cameron Flaherty (three goals, two assists), Emily LaPia (four goals, one assist), and Natalie Coutu (five markers) paced the Skyhawks against the Lakers. Grace Murphy powers Stonehill with 30 goals and nine assists for 39 points. Coutu is second with 22 tallies and four assists for 26 points, and LaPia is third with 16 goals and two assists for 18 points. Julia Kogan fuels the team in draw controls (57), caused turnovers (9), and ground balls (23) by a non-goalkeeper. Mallory Crispens also has nine caused miscues.

LAST TIME WE MET THE SKYHAWKS
Stonehill rallied from a 6-0 deficit to defeat Saint Francis 19-14 in the NEC Quarterfinals on April 28, 2024. Bella Fisher paced the Red Flash with six goals and four assists for 10 points. Danielle Hernandez (one goal, two assists), Lizzie Fisher (two goals), and Victoria DiRenno (two goals) also had multiple points in the match. Molly Mae Hughes powered the Skyhawks with four goals and two assists. Grace Murphy added five tallies, and Lilly Leach found the twine four times. Taylor Coughlin had 11 saves for Saint Francis, and Claire Smith turned away eight chances for Stonehill.

LAST WEEK'S ACTION
Mak Patten and Christina Roncarati each registered five goals and two assists to power Saint Francis past CCSU 22-2 on March 15. Samantha Hewitt added three goals and an assist. Heather Delbone and Brooke Lacey tallied two goals and an assist, while Elizabeth Mahmud and Julia Givens had two tallies in the victory. Chyler Espino grabbed nine draw controls to cross the 100 draws barrier for her career. The Red Flash opened league play with a win for the fourth time thanks to victories in 2010, 2014, 2017, and 2025.

NEXT TIME OUT
The Red Flash continues its five-game homestand that spans 16 days against FDU (April 5) and Central Michigan (April 7). It is the second five-game homestand in program history and the first since 2009. Saint Francis has also had a four-game homestand six times in team history (2003, 2005, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2019).

NEC WEEKLY HONORS

Taylor Coughlin was named an NEC Prime Performer for March 17-24. It is the first time this season and the third time in her career Coughlin has been named a Prime Performer. Coughlin made 12 saves and registered a career-high six ground balls and four caused turnovers against Wagner on Saturday. The senior is the program's all-time leader in career goals against average (11.77) and ranks sixth in program history with 255 saves. Coughlin earned NEC Prime Performer for March 17-24, 2024, and April 1-7, 2024, when she was named the NEC Defensive Player of the Week.

Sophomore Mak Patten and Christina Roncarati lead the team with two Prime Performers this season. Patten had a goal and five assists in the opening week matches in Ohio (February 10-16) and then had a career-high five goals and two assists against CCSU (March 11-16). Roncarati had four goals against Duquesne to earn the honor for February 17-23 and then matched Patten with five goals and two assists against the Blue Devils.

Junior Brooke Lacey and sophomore Elizabeth Garcia were also named Prime Performers for the week they won the major weekly awards. Junior Julia Givens was named a Prime Performer for February 10-16 after tallying five goals, four caused turnovers, and three draw controls, including four goals against Youngstown State.

In major weekly awards this season, freshman Samantha Hewitt leads the team with two NEC Rookie of the Week awards for February 17-23 (four goals and an assist in a win against Duquesne on February 22) and March 11-16 (three goals and an assist in victory against CCSU on March 15). Along with Hewitt's two NEC Rookie of the Week honors, junior Brooke Lacey was named the NEC Player of the Week, and sophomore Elizabeth Garcia earned NEC Defensive Player of the Week for February 17-23, along with Hewitt's top rookie selection. It was the third time the Red Flash has swept all three awards in the last three seasons. Lacey registered a career-high seven goals, and Garcia registered four caused turnovers, five ground balls, and two draw controls in the program's first-ever win against Duquesne. Freshman Heather Delboneearned 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.

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 Christina Roncarati and junior Julia Givens each had a career-high five goals against CCSU on March 15. Senior Nancy Alden was the other player on the roster to have at least a five-goal game coming into the season 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 has three hat tricks in their career. Senior Christina Roncarati has three after recording a four-goal performance in her freshman and senior campaigns and a career-high five goals against CCSU on March 15. Freshman Samantha Hewitt has two hat tricks this season (Duquesne, February 22 and CCSU). Senior Mak Patten (five goals vs. CCSU) and freshman Heather Delbone (Charlotte, March 4) each have one hattie in 2025, while junior Victoria DiRenno posted a hat trick last season.

MILESTONE ALERT

Senior Taylor Coughlin is sixth for career saves with 255 and is the seventh player in team history to reach 200 stops. She can become the sixth player with 300 saves and 45 saves, and she can move into the Top-5 for saves with 73 shots turned away. Coughlin is the program's all-time leader in goals against average (11.77).

Senior Chyler Espino moved back into the top 10 in career draw controls with 104 draws. Currently in eighth place, Espino can jump into seventh place with two draw controls and sixth place with six draws. She became the eighth player in team history with 100 draws against CCSU on March 15. Also, against the Blue Devils, Espino moved into the top 10 for ground balls and currently stands at 90 ground balls in eighth place. She can move into seventh with four ground balls (94), sixth with six ground balls (96) and become the sixth player with 100 ground balls with 10 ground balls. If Espino reaches 100 ground balls, she will become the fourth player in team history with 100 ground balls and 100 draw controls, joining Katie Simmons (2009-12, 135 ground balls, 224 draw controls), Peyton Le Conte (2017-21, 146 ground balls, 110 draw controls) and Autumn McHenry (2019-23, 105 ground balls, 237 draw controls). The senior has 38 caused turnovers, needing eight to reach the top 10 in that category. If she reaches the top 10 in caused turnovers, Espino will become the fourth player in the top 10 in draw controls, ground balls, and caused turnovers, joining Le Conte, Simmons, and McHenry.

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. Filoon recorded her first career assist against CCSU on March 15.

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, 2025, and her first NEC win with a 22-2 win against CCSU on March 15, 2025. In 2023, she helped the Red Flash set a program record for overall wins (10), conference wins (5), and 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, a 12-6 record in NEC play, and the first two NEC Tournament appearances in program history.

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