DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Feb. 23, 2022) – The Mercy College women's lacrosse team enters the 2022 season looking to defend their ECC Regular Season Championship and qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the third straight time. Mercy looks to make the ECC Tournament for the sixth straight season and are ranked No. 15 nationally in the IWLCA Poll entering their first game of the season on Thursday at Lock Haven.
Tenth-year Head Coach Dawn Sachs and the Mavericks return 11 of their top 12 scorers from last year and return 22 student-athletes overall from last year's team. Sachs also returns four of her top five leaders a year ago in caused turnovers and two goalies. Mercy went 12-2 during the 2021 season, winning the ECC Regular Season Championship and advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in program history.
"We have a lot of returning talent to compete in one of the toughest schedules we have ever had. Piecing each game together is going to be a tough task but one that I think this group of predominantly upperclassmen can handle. Consistency and discipline is going to be the key to success," stated Sachs.
Mercy was picked first in the ECC Preseason Poll and senior Micayla Brady was named ECC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. Brady was also named USA Lacrosse Magazine Preseason First Team All-American after being named Second Team All-American by the IWLCA last season. Sachs also returns eight All-ECC performers from a year ago in graduate student Briana Corace, seniors Taylor Bishop, Juliana Keenan, Hunter Savino, Erin Chalich, Alexandra Bigilin, Madeline Garvalosa and Brady and junior Erin Shimborske. The Mavericks will also rely upon a strong five-member recruiting class to help get the Mavericks back to the NCAA Tournament.
The Mavericks once again will face a challenging schedule taking on six teams currently ranked in the IWLCA Top 25 Poll. This year the ECC Championship Game will be at Mercy Field on May 7th. Mercy opens their 2022 season on Thursday, February 24th when they play at Lock Haven at 3 p.m.
Defense
The Mavericks defense will be led by arguably the best defender in Division II in Brady who was named an All-American by both the IWLCA and USA Lacrosse Magazine. She was also named IWLCA First Team All-Region, ECC Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-ECC. The senior has been named ECC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight year. Last season, she started all 14 games and led the ECC in ground balls (60) and caused turnovers (51). She ranked second in Division II in caused turnovers per game (3.64) and fifth in ground balls per game (4.29). Brady also set a single-season school record for caused turnovers.
Savino also looks to play a key role for the Mavericks after being named First Team All-ECC last season. She started all 14 games last season and had 26 ground balls and 14 caused turnovers. The senior ranked in the top 10 in the ECC in ground balls and caused turnovers a year ago. Bigilin also returns after being tabbed Second Team All-ECC in 2021. She started nine games and had 12 caused turnovers.
Senior Katie Jelliffe and sophomore Carly Diolosa will also see time on defense after combining for 10 caused turnovers in 2021. Freshman Lindsey Shimborske joins the defense from Farmingdale High School where she won a County Championship in 2019.
In goal, the Mavericks return Garvalosa and sophomore Olivia Maute. Garvalosa was named Second Team All-ECC in 2021 after appearing in all 14 games. She had 42 saves, a .519 save percentage and 6.19 goals-against average in 377:44 minutes of action. The senior led the ECC in save percentage and goals-against average. Maute appeared in seven games in 2021 and had a .455 save percentage and 4.56 goals-against average in 78:55 minutes of action.
Midfield
Leading the midfield will be junior Erin Shimborske who was named Second Team All-ECC in 2021. The junior was named ECC Rookie of the Week once in 2021 and had 17 goals, eight assists, 25 points and 24 ground balls in 14 games. She had a career-high four goals in the win over nationally-ranked Roberts Wesleyan on May 1, 2021.
Sophomores Christina Lopreato and Kelly Rosenfeld will also contribute at midfield. Lopreato started all 14 games in 2021 and had nine goals, four assists, 13 points, 22 ground balls and six caused turnovers. Rosenfeld also started all 14 games and had 10 goals, 12 assists, 22 points, 17 ground balls and eight caused turnovers.
Freshmen Isabelle Palladino and Leena Moussa enter their first season as Mavericks and will contribute immediately.
Attack
Returning at attack is Keenan who was named First Team All-ECC last season and was a one-time ECC Defensive Player of the Week in 2021. She started all 14 games and had 15 goals, five assists, 20 points, 26 ground balls, 59 draw controls and 21 caused turnovers. She ranked fourth in the ECC in draw controls and caused turnovers and was in the top 10 in ground balls.
Senior Kerri Cummings also returns after starting all 14 games finishing with 10 goals, 18 assists, 28 points and 10 ground balls. She ranked second on the team in assists and was fourth in the ECC in assists. Senior Kaitlyn Grzelaczyk was named to the ECC Honor Roll once last season after starting 14 games with 19 goals, 10 assists and 29 points.
Bishop returns after being named First Team All-ECC last season and was named to the ECC Honor Roll twice. She started all 14 games and had 37 goals, five assists and 42 points. The senior led the team in goals and points, was third in the ECC in goals and fourth in points. Corace returns after being tabbed First Team All-ECC in 2021 and ECC Offensive Player of the Week once. She appeared in 14 games and had 31 goals, 10 assists and 41 points. The graduate student ranked second on the team in goals and points and was fifth in the ECC in points.
Freshman Leah Hansen joins the Mavericks ahead of the 2022 season and will compete for time immediately.
