WEST CHESTER, PA – When you reach the national championship game one year, and lose just one starter from that squad the following year, and enter the season ranked No. 1 in one preseason poll and No. 3 in another preseason poll, expectations couldn't be higher.
That's exactly what West Chester University's women's lacrosse team faces when it opens its' 65th season Saturday afternoon at home against Jefferson University.
Coming off a 22-1 campaign last spring, the Golden Rams have reloaded in 2024 and are favorites to contend for another spot in the semifinals and quite possibly its 12th national championship game appearance in head coach
Ginny Martino's illustrious career. Martino, who learned earlier this week that she was selected for induction into the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Association (IWLCA) Coaches' Hall of Fame, has just one starter to replace off of last year's squad. Granted, it is the team's leading scorer and field general, who put up 115 points in 2023. However, the two biggest weapons return 172 goals between them in the midfield.
Preseason All-Americans,
Hannah Stanislawczyk (Mohnton, Pa./Gov. Mifflin) and
Keri Barnett (Glenolden, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) will be the focal point of every opponent for sure. But, a team that also returns its entire back line and the keeper in the cage will certainly make things difficult for the opposition as well. Rarely, has Martino entered a season with so much balance on the field between all three lines and the goalie. With so many returning starters and significant reserves coming back, the team chemistry is already there. The motivation to get back to the finals is already there. Everyone is on the same page from Day One.
ATTACK
Senior
Meg O'Donnell (Hatboro, Pa./Upper Moreland) has the unenviable task of trying to replace
Lindsay Monigle and her 115 points. Martino is looking for the point total to be equaled – just the ability to orchestrate the offense and find the open players in front. Senior
Julia Littlewood (Berwyn, Pa./Conestoga) ranked fifth on the team in scoring with 53 points on the strength of 38 goals a year ago. She scored a point in all but two games last season. Sophomore
Lila McMahon-Skates (West Linn, Ore./West Linn) put up 20 goals and 31 points. Expect those numbers to rise this time around. Another candidate to step into the vacated spot on attack is fifth-year transfer
Jess Harrison (Fort Collins, Colo./Poudre) from Division I Xavier. She was named second-team All-BIG EAST a year ago for the Musketeers. Another Division I transfer,
Amanda Wolfe (Kennett Square, Pa./Unionville), from Old Dominion, should push for playing time as well. Sophomore
Eliza Enriquez (Shillington, Pa./Gov. Mifflin) appeared in nine games a year ago and will play a much larger role this season.
Ava Johnson (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown) adds depth to the attacking unit.
MIDFIELD
Running with Stanislawczyk and Barnett on the top midfield line will be sophomore
Madeline Edinger (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge), who scored 24 goals and secured 25 draw controls in 23 games a year ago, and junior
Alexis Smallwood (Margate City, N.J./Ocean City) – another middie who saw extensive playing time in 2023. With increased playing time this spring, look for Edinger's numbers to climb. Often times a flyer, who joined in on the attack during transition, Smallwood scored 10 goals and registered 16 assists in 22 games last year. Her three goals and three assists in the season opener at Shepherd was a huge reason West Chester avoided a major upset. Transfer
Piper Hammond (Tuczon, Ariz./Southridge) from Notre Dame College (Ohio) looks like a force to be reckoned with in the midfield as well.
Topping off the midfield unit are three players from last year's recruiting class, who now have another year and more experience under their belts.
Alana Mandato (Telford, Pa./Gwynedd-Mercy Academy),
Madison Mosher (East Moriches, N.Y./West Hampton Beach) and
Sydney Wasdick (Pottsgrove, Pa./Pottsgrove) can all play. Freshmen
Sydney Grim (Mohnton, Pa./Gov. Mifflin) and
Kendall Fortune (Jarrettsville, Md./North Harford) could work their way into the rotation.
DEFENSE
The three close 'D' remain the same.
Kendall DiCamillo (Garnet Valley, Pa./Garnet Valley) was a second team All-PSAC East and second team All-Atlantic Region selection a year ago. The junior has started every game for the Golden Rams over the past two seasons.
Natalie Goldsmith (Oceanport, N.J./Shore Regional) enters her second season as an every-day starter since she stepped foot on campus, and junior
Katie Byrne (Wall, N.J./Wall Twp) is back for a third season. She started every game a year ago for the Golden Rams, after taking over for Molly Reinhart two years ago. That trio has a ton of experience and a ton of talent. Graduate student,
Gillian Peters (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill West) came back for her COVID season playing a defensive position as well. She is a flyer on defense and gives West Chester excellent coverage on the outside.
All-American
Grace Frasso (Cinnaminson, N.J./Cinnaminson) is back to play that defensive wing position. Behind her is junior
Kerry Seiler (Allentown, Pa./Salisbury) with a lot of experience in Martino's and long-time assistant
Sue Burmester's system. Frasso secured 83 draw controls, picked up 69 ground balls and caused 42 turnovers a year ago. Her and Seiler help constitute one of the deepest defenses in the country and shore up one of the top defensive units in the land as well.
Grad student
Jess Myers (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown East) returns to the Golden Rams after leaving the program following the 2020 campaign to attend Penn State. She will need to work her way back into the flow after a few years off. But, Myers has the maturity to not make many mistakes. Senior
Courtney Medwin (Coral Springs, Fla./American Heritage) has a lot of games under her belt and provides a lot of depth. Some other sophomores include
Kara Stewart (Bowie, Md./Archbishop Spaulding) and
Lauren Rush (Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge). They have a year of experience behind them now and could see their roles increase throughout the season. Junior
Alexa Urbanski (Wilmington, Del./Charter School of Wilmington) and freshman
Fiona Shadis (Baltimore, Md./Baltimore City College HS) are perhaps another option on a very deep and talented defensive unit.
GOALKEEPING
The Division II Goalkeeper of the Year,
Jessica Gorr (Exton, Pa./Bishop Shanahan), returns for her COVID season, which means the job between the pipes is hers. Her 22 wins last season tied an NCAA single-season record, and the grad student is also closing in on a number of school records as well. She has been the team's primary No. 1 goalkeeper for the last two years and platooned the year before that. She directs the defense in front of her and cuts down angles well. Where she is perhaps most talented is in the transition game. She starts the clears with precision every time.
Behind her is sophomore
Peyton Hagy (Millsboro, Del./Sussex Academy) is Gorr's primary backup again this spring. She got into four games her freshman season and may see that number increase this year when Gorr needs a break. Hagy has all the tools to be a top-notch keeper in the PSAC. Freshman
Hannah Cornelius (Medford, N.J./Shawnee) will spend a year learning from Gorr and Hagy.
OUTLOOK
West Chester was picked to win the PSAC Eastern Division – and with good reason. You can't overlook what the Golden Rams have coming back, nor the fact that they are just picking up where they left off with last year's squad almost fully intact. That is a coaches' dream – to return practically an entire squad and let the newcomers cut their teeth against some of the best players in the nation every afternoon at practice.
