Chester County girls lacrosse teams look to continue statewide success

Chester County has a returning girls lacrosse state champion and a state semifinalist, as teams look to reach a new venue — the PIAA finals have moved from West Chester East to Penn State.

Conestoga begins its quest to repeat as 3A champions and they have a pretty good weapon in their arsenal in one of the best players in the state, midfielder Kate Galica. The senior, the 2022 Daily Local News All-Area Girls Lacrosse Player of the Year, leads a strong returning class that went 24-1 last season. A two-time All-American selection, Galica will head to the University of Virginia in the fall.

The talent is as equally impressive behind Galica. Seniors Piper Kienzle (William & Mary) and Brooke Braslow (Drexel) provide leadership and talent, while juniors Kiki Liebezeit (Notre Dame), Chloe Brown (Navy), Ellie Wisch (Penn State), Keating Hopkins (Richmond) and Eva Stagnaro (Boston U.) provide coach Amy Orcutt with a wealth of attacking and defending options.

Freshmen Carolyn Jones (attack), Sofia Calvitti (defense) and Lauren Grimes (defense) will have chances to break in and contribute.

Over in the Ches-Mont League, defending National Division champions Bishop Shanahan returns 11 seniors to a squad that won the district title and reached the PIAA 2A state semifinals. One of the key returners is in goal, where All-Ches-Mont selection Allie Hathaway (Seton Hill) will be between the pipes. Headling the attack are seniors Annabelle Wiedel and Sivia Baptista. Other top returners include Caitlyn Hubiak (Connecticut) and Claire Fader (UMass-Lowell).

Stella Dambro, Gillian Greco, Elise Pezone, Carly Cunningham and Riley Murray are underclassmen who can make their mark for coach Kacy Small.

“We have a strong senior class of 11 seniors who are excited to defend our league and district championships the past two years,” said Small. “We have some awesome young players looking to make big impacts this season, especially with our whole defense leaving last year except our All-League goalie, Allie Hathaway.”

Downingtown East finished second in the National last season and is poised to be a major part of the race again as well making noise on the district level.

Leading the way is midfielder Eileen Hewitt, who went over the 100-goal mark for her career earlier in the campaign.

She is a returning member of the first-team All-Area squad. Hewitt was described by first-year coach Kathryn Kropp, who takes over for Kelli McIntosh while she is on maternity leave, as a “two-way midfielder with deceptive speed and strong defensive skills.”

Others to watch are attacker Lexi Conte, a Pitt commit. Sofia Fanelli, a Quinnipiac commit with 78 career goals, and midfielder Karyn Michaels. Lexie Barton and Finley Mulhern are the leaders on defense in front of sophomore goalie Addy Mulhern, who takes over full-time duty.

Newcomers to watch include Cameron Yard and sophomores Jayne Michaels and Riley Marks.

“We will look to compete in every game this season,” added Kropp. “The girls bring a ton of energy and intensity. We have a tremendous culture that allows each player to step into their role with confidence and success.”

Downingtown West finished third in the National last season with a 6-4 mark. The Whippets are led by midfielder Autumn Blair, who is coming off an outstanding freshman season that saw her tied for third on the team in goals, assists, caused turnovers, ground balls and draw controls. She capped her inaugural season by being named to the second team All-Ches-Mont. Senior Elizabeth Mahmud, tied for third on the team in goals, returns along with Kate Mahmud, who was second team All-Ches-Mont last season.

Also expected to be a key cog will be senior midfielder Ashley Plzak, “who contributed all over the field last season specifically on ground balls, and made sure every ball was contested,” said D-West coach Brittney Cozentino.

Junior Ava Brady will be key on defense, while freshmen midfielders Ava and Brinn Findora are expected to contribute.

“This 2023 season is unique, in the sense that we have lost three Division I midfielders who led our team last year,” said Cozentino. “With this loss, comes great opportunity for a very talented young group. This group of girls are all about the “team” mentality with positive energy and grit all over the field.
“Coming over from a tough season of a lot of ups and downs, I expect them to surprise some teams this season and several seasons to come. This group has great energy and boundless potential.”

Avon Grove definitely is a team that shouldn’t be forgotten in the division race. They have a team with loads of experience headed by senior attack Emma Dunckel and junior Sydney Correll. Youthful energy will be served by sophomore attack Maggie Boyle and freshman midfielder Rylee Boyd.

West Chester Henderson will be a team with more freshmen (seven) than seniors (five). Main senior contributors include Rylee Bauer, Hanna Laudermil and Kelsey Kuegler. Bailey Schalleur is a talented freshman who will see plenty of time.

For Coatesville’s third-year coach Mandy Pittenger, continued improvement is the key point to this season. Key returners include seniors Molly Atwell, Ella Pittenger, who is closing in on the 100-goal career mark, Erin Whiteman and Sydney Saxton.

Juniors Alexis Fields, Paige McKim, goalie Makayla Harvey and Gia Boccio also will be important contributors along with sophomore Avery O’Hara. Kaylee Harvey, Kylie Irwin and Myra Matukaitis are newcomers to keep an eye on.

“Coatesville will continue the rise, said Mandy Pittenger. “We look to once again improve on our record and generate some key upsets in the Ches-Monts. Our experienced upperclassmen will lead the charge as we capitalize on the momentum of our previous successes and the strength of our ambitious freshman class. We are ready to compete and leave our mark.”

In the American, West Chester Rustin finished tied for third place behind Unionville and returns an experienced squad to try to turn the tables.

Among the key returners are defenders Lola Flynn and Lauren Supplee and attackers Elizabeth McGurk, Jordyn Krafchick, Izzie Mintz and Kaylee Vanvladricken. Sammie McLaughlin and Sloane Reilly are among the necommers to watch for coach Sarah Kropp.

“We have a great group of girls who are eager to compete at a high level both in and out of league,” said Kropp. “There is a lot of energy and competitive fire on the team, and each individual, no matter if they are underclassmen or upperclassmen, brings their own set of strengths. Our senior class has shown great leadership qualities and I am confident in their ability to lead us to where we want to go this year.”

Unionville looks to defend its Ches-Mont American title, but suffered heavy graduation losses, with 15 seniors departing.

Among the key returners are seniors Ella Zucchero, Delaney Harlan and Anna Brown. Among the freshmen expected to see significant time are attacker Kiki Glackin and goalie Lyla Watson.

Longhorn coach Marie Pepper hopes that any early season struggles will turn into late success, as the team settles in and the youngsters get more experience.

Kennett had its best season in school history last season. They reached the second round of districts and finished  two games behind the Longhorns in second place last year and they look to improve to the top spot.

Senior Makayla Kelly will be counted on to provide the goals along with Bridget Wells in the attack. Mary Carroll and Grace Burns are the engines in midfield.

The defense is anchored by Britney Sedano and Elizabeth Calhoun in front of goalie Kaitlyn Snoke. Other players to watch include Marissa Herring, Jaylee Killgore and Claire Pruitt.

For Great Valley, returning first-team All-Ches-Mont member Kaitlyn Giandonato is expected to provide most of the scoring punch, along with attacker Noelle Albanese. Sydney Manning is an experienced returning goaltender.

For Oxford, returners include junior Alexis Reinard, senior Olivia Voss and junior Ava McGlothlin, who will be the main cogs.

In the AACA, Villa Maria Academy is eager to go farther in the District 1 playoffs this year after being bounced by Bishop Shanahan in the second roud last season. They have two experienced seniors leading the attack in Maggie Traynor and Riley Mulhern. Brynna Hill and Kaelyn Wolfe anchor the midfield. Kaleieigh Touey heads the defense along Mckenzie Liberatore and sophomore Caroline Capaldi. Junior Alice Nash and freshman Sophia Tray are newcomers who will contribute.

“We are so excited to get this year started,” said Villa Maria coach Theresa Giunta. “We are returning a lot of starters, and have gained new players this year that add extreme depth and value to our team. Our theme this year is discipline, consistency and attacking our goals this year. We have worked hard to develop a very strong and supportive culture, where we can dominate together as a team.
“We are very dynamic this year with strong leadership, and we are excited to see what we bring to the league, district and state this year.”