Women's Lacrosse Home Opener Set for Saturday Matinee

Saturday, February 17

Cincinnati, Ohio

1 p.m.

Xavier University

Radford

Women's Lacrosse Home Opener Set for Saturday Matinee

02.16.24 | Women's Lacrosse

Live Stats Tickets

Xavier will host Radford in the 2024 home opener on Saturday at noon

By: Dianna Lewis, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier women's lacrosse is set to open home slate of the 2024 season on Saturday with a matinee against Radford.

GAME INFORMATION

XAVIER vs. RADFORD
Feb. 17 | 12 p.m. ET | Cincinnati, Ohio | Corcoran Field
Live Stats | Tickets

ABOUT THE OPPONENT

2024 Record: 0-2 (0-0 Big South)
2023 Record: 5-12 (2-7 Big South)
2023 Postseason: N/A
Head Coach: Samantha Jones (3rd)
Series History: 1-0
Last Meeting: February 24, 2023 - Xavier won 15-14
• Xavier's win over Radford in 2023 served as the first victory in Xavier Women's Lacrosse history.
• Lola Mancuso was the leading scorer for Xavier with four goals... Erin Berls tallied her first career hat trick.
• The squad set the program record in team single-game records for free position goals with five.
• Sydney Saba collected a career-high five ground balls.
• Julia Kogan and Kiera Armitage led the squad in the draw circle with three controls each.
• Julia Kogan also led Xavier with two caused turnovers.

LAST OUTING

• Lola Mancuso and Kirra Crowley led the scoring efforts for the Musketeers in the 2024 season's opening weekend with five goals apiece across two games. The pair each boasted a hat trick in the season opener vs Arizona State on Friday and tallied an additional two goals apiece on Sunday vs San Diego State.

• Mancuso contributed an additional five draw controls, two ground balls, and one caused turnover to her five goals.

• Kiera Armitage led Xavier on the draw with nine controls between the two games, three vs Arizona State and six vs San Diego State.

• Eight Musketeers earned their first career starts during opening weekend action and 14 Musketeers collected their first collegiate statistic.

• Colby Wasson tied the single-game record runner-up for caused turnovers with three against San Diego State, and tallied four total ground balls across the two games.

• Katherine Prentice went 2-2 on free position goals with five draw controls, two ground balls, and one caused turnover.

BIG EAST STANDINGS

Place	Team	BIG EAST	OVERALL
1.	Georgetown	0-0	2-0
2.	Denver	0-0	1-0
3.	Butler	0-0	1-0
4.	Marquette	0-0	1-0
5.	UConn	0-0	0-1
6.	Villanova	0-0	0-1
7.	Xavier	0-0	0-2

BIG EAST PRESEASON POLL

BIG EAST Preseason Poll
First Place Votes in ()
Denver (6)           36 pts
Connecticut        29
Villanova           25
Georgetown (1) 21
Marquette          19
Butler                  10
Xavier                 7

BIG EAST Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
Kate Shaffer, Connecticut, Gr., A

BIG EAST Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Sam Thacker, Denver, Gr., D

Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
Leah Rubino, Butler, Sr., M
Rayea Davis, Connecticut, R-So., A
Madelyn George, Connecticut, Gr., M
Kate Shaffer, Connecticut, Gr., A*
Landyn White, Connecticut, Gr., GK*
Emelia Bohi, Denver, Jr., GK
Julia Gilbert, Denver, Gr., A
Abby Jenkins, Denver, Sr., DS
Bryn McCaughey, Denver, Sr., D
Trinity McPherson, Denver, Gr., D*
Sam Thacker, Denver, Sr., D*
Tatum Geist, Georgetown, Sr., M*
Kylie Hazen, Georgetown, Sr., A
Leigh Steiner, Marquette, Sr., M
Sydney Pappas, Villanova, Jr., A*

*denotes unanimous selection

SCHEDULE NOTES

• The 2024 women's lacrosse schedule consists of nine home games and seven road games with a full BIG EAST schedule. The Musketeers are eligible for the 2024 BIG EAST Tournament, which will be hosted at Xavier's Corcoran Field from May 2-4.

• The Musketeers will face six new opponents, Arizona State, San Diego State, Akron, Cincinnati, Vanderbilt, and Louisville, in non-conference action.

• Xavier women's lacrosse will face teams from six different conferences in the program's second season (BIG EAST, PAC-12, Big South, Mid-American, AAC, and ACC).

• The six-game BIG EAST slate opens on Mar. 23 at 11 a.m. as Xavier hosts Butler and closes on Apr. 27 at 1:30 p.m. ET on the road at Denver.

• The 2024 home opener is on Feb. 17 against Radford and home action concludes on Apr. 20 vs Marquette.

• The Musketeers will face three teams that saw action in the 2023 postseason: Denver (NCAA Tournament Semifinals) and Marquette and UConn (NCAA Tournament First Round).

ABOUT THE MUSKETEERS

• Head Coach Meg Decker enters her second season at the helm of the program. Last season, Decker led the Musketeers to four program wins, three postseason awards, and three in-season awards. Coach Decker continues to strengthen the Xavier program in it's second season. The head coach also played crucial roles in establishing women's lacrosse programs at the U.S. Naval Academy as an athlete, Virginia Commonwealth as an assistant coach, and Hartford as a first-time head coach.

• Assistant Coach Lexy Biller enters her first season with the program after a successful playing career at Lindenwood. Biller was paramount in the success of the Lindenwood program, leading the squad to a 2021 NCAA DII National Championship, breaking the program records in career draw controls, earning 2021 USA Lacrosse All-American honors, All-Region First Team IWLCA Honors, and a 2023 All-ASUN Second Team selection after the program's transition to Division I.

• Xavier's 2024 squad consists of 37 athletes - 14 freshmen, 16 sophomores, two juniors, four seniors, and one graduate. Of the 37 players, 21 letterwinners are returning to the program for the second season and 16 are new to the roster. Head Coach Meg Decker added two transfers, Julia Frombach and Jordan Miller, and the 14 freshmen in the off-season.

• Among notable returning letterwinners is sophomore attack Lola Mancuso. Mancuso scored the first program goal, the first free position goal, the first hat trick, and the first sock trick, as well as became the first player to be named a BIG EAST Freshman of the Week and secured the program's highest postseason honor as the 2023 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year. She led the Musketeers in points, goals, free position goals, shots on goal, total shots, game-winning goals, and man-up and man-down goals.

• Additional notable returning players are Erin Berls, a 2023 All-BIG EAST Second Team selection, Kiera Armitage, the program leader in draw controls and a 2023 BIG EAST Freshman of the Week, Molly Smith, the program leader in shot percentage and shots on goal percentage, Marina Piszczor, the program leader in saves, shots faced, and save percentage, and Claire Slade, the program leader in assists.

• In the inaugural season, the Musketeers recorded a 4-10 (0-6 BIG EAST) record, notching wins over Radford, Presbyterian, Longwood, and Eastern Michigan.