DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (May 3, 2024) – The No. 2 seeded Mercy University women's lacrosse team plays at No. 1 seeded Roberts Wesleyan University in the ECC Women's Lacrosse Championship Final on Sunday, May 5th at 1 p.m.
Who, When and Where
Date/Time: Sunday, May 5th 1 p.m.
Records: #2 Mercy (9-9, 5-1 ECC), #1 Roberts Wesleyan (12-5, 6-0 ECC)
Location: Rochester, N.Y.
Ticket Information
Purchase Tickets Here
$8 – Adults
$5 – Child/Senior/Student
Last Meeting vs. Roberts Wesleyan
Roberts Wesleyan earned a 12-11 win over Mercy on April 26, 2024.
Scouting the Mavericks
Mercy is coming off a 15-3 ECC Semifinal win over No. 3 seed D'Youville on Thursday. The Mavericks were led by juniors Leah Hansen and Leena Moussa who each had a game-high four goals. Mercy is making their eighth straight ECC Championship appearance and look to win their third straight ECC Tournament Championship and fourth overall. The Mavericks have advanced to the Final for the seventh straight season.
Sachs and the Mavericks return five ECC All-Conference performers from a year ago and one All-American. Leading the returners is ECC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year junior Lindsey Shimborske who was named IWLCA Second Team All-American, IWLCA First Team All-Region and ECC Defensive Player of the Year last season. Shimborske recorded a team-high 55 ground balls, 55 caused turnovers and 83 draw controls. The junior set Mercy's single-season school record for caused turnovers, ranking fourth nationally in caused turnovers per game. Shimborske was named the ECC Women's Lacrosse Championship's Most Outstanding Player following Mercy's ECC Championship win over Roberts Wesleyan. The defender finished the season as the ECC leader in caused turnovers per game (3.06), second in the ECC in ground balls per game (3.06), and fourth in the ECC in draw controls per game (4.61).
Also returning for the Mavericks is junior Leena Moussa who was named First Team All-ECC last season after being named to the ECC Honor Roll twice. Moussa had a team-high 52 goals in 2023 and was second on the team with 66 points. Graduate student Erin Shimborske also returns after being named First Team All-ECC last season. Shimborske ended 2023 with 19 goals, 11 assists, 30 points, 34 ground balls and 27 caused turnovers. She ranked third on the team in caused turnovers and fourth in ground balls.
Seniors Kelly Rosenfeld and Christina Lopreato will return after both were named Second Team All-ECC a season ago. Rosenfeld produced 14 goals, 10 assists, 24 points, 29 ground balls and 11 caused turnovers in 2023. She ranked fifth on the team in ground balls. Lopreato was a one-time ECC Honor Roll recipient last season and ended the 2023 campaign with 22 draw controls, 13 caused turnovers and 15 ground balls.
Junior Leah Hansen returns after being named to the ECC Honor Roll twice last season. She appeared in all 19 games and had 37 goals and 41 points. Hansen ranked fourth on the team in goals and fifth in points. Freshman Andrea Mott was named ECC Offensive Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week once last season and recorded 17 goals, 22 assists and 39 points in 14 games in 2023. She ranked second on the team in assists.
Sophomore Maeghan Callow returns after appearing in all 19 games last season, finishing with seven goals, five assists, 12 points and 14 draw controls. Graduate student Sydney Corley is back after posting nine goals and two assists and senior Brooke Zarou returns after netting six goals and four assists last season. Senior Ryleigh Hostinsky and junior Tatiana Moran also return for Sachs.
Senior Savanna Spadalik returns on defense after recording 10 caused turnovers and 13 ground balls last season. Senior Carly Diolosa had eight caused turnovers and 10 ground balls in 2023 and returns for her final year as a Maverick. Sophomores Kaci Bates and Emily Marino, junior Isabelle Palladino and senior Mackenzie Cummings also return after combining for six caused turnovers and 10 ground balls in 2023.
Returning in goal are senior Olivia Maute and sophomore Olivia LaMonica. Maute made 18 starts in goal last season and went 9-6 with 83 saves, a .367 save percentage and 11.04 goals-against average. LaMonica appeared in 13 games with one start, going 4-0 with 39 saves, a .500 save percentage and 6.43 goals-against average. The sophomore stopped five shots in the second half of the ECC Championship against Roberts Wesleyan to earn the win. Freshman Olivia Bradley joins the Mavericks in goal from Commack High School where she was named All-Division twice and All-County Honorable Mention.
Leading the newcomers is graduate student transfer Ryan Smith who joins the Mavericks from ECC foe Molloy University. Smith was named First Team All-ECC as a sophomore and Second Team All-ECC as a freshman. She ended her Molloy career with 72 ground balls, 67 caused turnovers and 48 draw controls. Sachs also welcomes sophomore Rita-Marie Masi who joins the team after playing two seasons with the Mercy University women's soccer team. Freshman Riley Wallace joins the Mavericks after being named All-County, All-League and All-Division at Islip High School. Freshman Madison Preston led Brookfield High School in caused turnovers and ground balls and freshman Olivia Van Dyke joins the Mavericks from Rocky Point high school where she was a three-year member of the varsity lacrosse team. Freshman Juliana Talenti was named All-Conference twice at Bethpage High School and freshman Ashley McQuade won the Suffolk County Championship at Northport High School. Freshman Madison Traversa rounds out the newcomers for Sachs and she joins the Mavericks after being named All-Conference twice at Bethpage High School.
Moussa was named ECC Offensive Player of the Week on April 15th and has been named to the ECC Honor Roll three times this season and has 70 points on 50 goals with 20 assists. Moussa recorded her 100th career point against STAC on March 27th and her 100th career goal against D'Youville on April 12th. Junior Leah Hansen has been named ECC Offensive Player of the Week twice and named to the Honor Roll five times and leads the team with 63 goals and 71 points and senior Kelly Rosenfeld has 26 points on 11 goals and 15 assists. Hansen recorded her 100th career point against Assumption on March 20th and her 100th career goal against D'Youville on April 12th. Rosenfeld recorded her 100th career point against Jefferson on March 30th and her 100th career ground ball against D'Youville on April 12th. Graduate student Sydney Corley was named to the ECC Honor Roll on April 22nd and has 25 goals and six assists and sophomore Maeghan Callow has 10 goals and seven assists. Graduate student Erin Shimborske has 12 goals, nine assists, 26 ground balls and 10 caused turnovers. She recorded her 100th career ground ball in the win over UDC on March 22nd. Freshman Riley Wallace was named ECC Rookie of the Week on March 25th and has 14 goals and three assists. Sophomore Andrea Mott has been named to the ECC Honor Roll three times and has 16 goals and a team-high 26 assists. Senior Brooke Zarou has 14 goals and five assists.
Junior Lindsey Shimborske has been named ECC Defensive Player of the Week once and has been named to the Honor Roll four times. She has two goals with a team-high 56 ground balls to go with 41 caused turnovers and 107 draw controls. Shimborske recorded her 100th career caused turnover against New Haven on February 28th and her 200th career draw control on March 22nd. Senior Christina Lopreato was named ECC Defensive Player of the Week on April 15th and has 19 caused turnovers and 68 draw controls. She recorded her 100th career draw control against Bentley. Senior Olivia Maute has started all 18 games and played the first half in goal in 13 games going 7-6 with 63 saves, a .380 save percentage and 11.39 goals-against average. Sophomore Olivia LaMonica is 2-3 in goal with 63 saves, a .426 save percentage and 10.39 goals-against average.
Mercy is receiving votes nationally in the ILWomen/IWLCA Top 25 poll. The Mavericks are 11-4 all-time against Roberts Wesleyan. This will be the fourth straight year that Mercy is facing Roberts Wesleyan in the Final. The Mavericks have won the previous two meetings with the Redhawks winning the first meeting in 2021. The previous three meetings in the Final were held at Mercy Field.
Lindsey Shimborske was named ECC Defender of the Year and First Team All-ECC. Hansen, Moussa, Erin Shimborske and Lopreato were named First Team All-ECC and Mott, Emily Marino, Rosenfeld and Diolosa were tabbed Second Team All-ECC.
Scouting the Redhawks
Roberts Wesleyan is coming off a 14-10 win over No. 4 Molloy in the ECC Semifinals on Thursday for their ninth straight win. The Redhawks earned their first outright regular-season title after going undefeated in conference play for the first time in program history. Roberts Wesleyan is hosting the Final for the first time and looks to win their second ECC Tournament Championship. The Redhawks are receiving votes nationally in the latest ILWomen/IWLCA poll. Roberts Wesleyan has been led by ECC Attacker of the Year Emma Blumenstock who has a team-high 99 points on 39 goals and 60 assists. Lucy Rugaber has 86 points on 55 goals and 31 assists and Annie Mulhall has a team-high 59 goals with 11 assists. Ella Dossier has 14 goals and 35 assists and ECC Midfielder of the Year Sophia Podszebka has 20 goals, 11 assists and a team-high 36 ground balls and 158 draw controls. Madelyn Robinson has a team-high 24 caused turnovers and ECC Co-Goalkeeper of the Year Shawna Lesmerises is 12-5 with 116 saves, a .446 save percentage and 9.31 goals-against average.
