Women’s Lacrosse: 2022 Women’s Lacrosse Season Preview

GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Missing out on the postseason amidst the tumult of a shortened season last spring has only increased the drive and desire for the Gettysburg College women’s lacrosse team as it gets ready to open the 2022 campaign this weekend.

For the first time since 2001, the NCAA Division III Championship went without the good name of Gettysburg. The Bullets finished second to Franklin & Marshall College in the shortened Centennial Conference regular season and the lack of competitions on its schedule left the Orange and Blue on the outside of the national playoff field.

With a full schedule of games against top-notch competition ahead, the Bullets are ready to charge into the season head on and remain intent on reclaiming their spot among the nation’s elite according to Head Coach Carol Cantele ’83.  

“The 2022 squad has a Centennial Conference title, NCAA bid, and final four participation on their list of goals and expectations,” noted Cantele, who sports a record of 427-111 in 29 years at Gettysburg. “However, they will remain focused on the HERE and NOW and plan to bring it each day! They have been doing a great job so far of living in the moment and being where their feet are.” 

Cantele, who was inducted into the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Hall of Fame in the fall, has led Gettysburg to three national championships (2011, 2017, 2018) and a league-record 12 conference titles. Gettysburg has appeared in the NCAA playoffs 19 times since 2000, including seven trips to the final four. Associate Coach Barb Jordan has been along for the majority of the run, working alongside Cantele since 2003, while Assistant Coach Charlotte Cunningham heads into her fourth season with the Bullets.

The coaching staff will focus on preparing a robust roster of 38 student-athletes for the trials and tribulations of a collegiate lacrosse season. Only the six members of the senior class – Cecily Stabler (Summit, N.J./Summit), Julia Horner (Leesburg, Va./Rock Ridge), Nora Janzer (Havertown, Pa./Haverford), Maddi Seibel (Newtown, Pa./Pennington School), Caroline Keenaghan (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown), and Caroline Regan (New Rochelle, N.Y./Ursuline School) – have played a complete full season with both 2020 and 2021 shortened due to the pandemic. Last spring, Gettysburg sported a record of 5-1 overall.

“Our intasquad scrimmage this past Saturday looked very promising,” Cantele stated. “We will work on developing a solid chemistry this upcoming week with our starters and reserves so they feel confident and ready for our opener this Saturday. It was a very fast preseason.”

 
Attack

The offense took a heavy hit with the loss of Kerry McKeever ’21 and Bri Stokes ’21, who combined for 60 points in six games last season. As a team, the Bullets averaged over 17 goals per game and connected on 54.2 percent of their shot attempts. Junior Katie Fullowan (Lebanon, N.J./North Hunterdon) had a breakout season with 16 goals and was named All-CC First Team in 2021. Sophomore Jordan Basso (Rye, N.Y./Rye) was a second-team all-league selection after totaling 13 goals and 13 assists and tying Fullowan for second on the team with 17 draw controls. Seibel and Keenaghan give the coaching staff added experience and reliability on the attack, while several newcomers have shown promise in filling the gaps left by the graduating class.

 
Midfield

Sophomore Caroline Sullivan (Fairfield, Conn./Fairfield Ludlowe) heads an extremely deep midfield unit for the Bullets. Sullivan was tagged CC Rookie of the Year, All-CC First Team, and All-Metro Region First Team last season after filling the stat sheet with nine goals, six assists, nine ground balls, six draw controls, and four caused turnovers in six games. The midfield features the most experience on the field with Regan, juniors Kelly O’Connor (Livingston, N.J./Livingston) and Gabi Connor (Haddonfield, N.J./Haddonfield), and sophomore Regan Rightmire (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown STEM Academy) all appearing in at least five games last season and each contributing multiple goals.  

 
Defense

Janzer, junior goalie Shannon Twill (Warren, N.J./Watchung Hills Regional), and junior defender Kaitlyn Bergen (Millstone, N.J./Allentown) anchor the backfield. Twill garnered first-team all-conference and second-team all-region honors in her first year as the starting goalie after finishing with a goals against average of 7.27 and save percentage of .568. Janzer has emerged as one of the top defenders in the league and put up five ground balls and a team-best six caused turnovers in 2021. Bergen took over a starting role as a sophomore and produced two caused turnovers and two ground balls. Sophomore Annie Nikolic (Paoli, Pa./Conestoga) has emerged as a potential contributor on the defensive side and freshman Lily Macatee (Street, Md./Harford), whose older sister Claire was an All-American in 2020, should see time on the turf as well.

 
Schedule

After being limited to conference games only in 2021, Gettysburg has resumed its challenging gauntlet against non-conference and conference foes alike in 2022. Gettysburg, which is ranked ninth in the IWLCA Preseason Poll, will battle seven national playoff participants and eight teams that finished among the top 20 in 2021. Three of those foes – Denison University, Salisbury University, and Tufts University – advanced to the NCAA semifinals.

The nationally-ranked teams the Bullets will battle include No. 1 Salisbury, No. 2 Tufts, No. 5 Washington and Lee University, No. 7 Franklin & Marshall, No. 8 Messiah College, No. 10 TCNJ, No. 12 Denison University, and No. 18 York (Pa.) College. Following the season opener against Stevenson University, Gettysburg will play six consecutive games against nationally-ranked opponents.

The challenging non-conference schedule is preparation for the team’s run at a 13th Centennial Conference championship, which begins on March 26 against Haverford College. The Bullets face rival F&M on April 20 at Clark Field. The two teams have won every Centennial title since 2002.

“They are looking forward to a full season of games and know that our early slate of competitors will have an impact on the conference schedule,” said Cantele. “We have one of, if not the, toughest schedules in D3 and the team will be ready to compete and win each moment.”

 
CC Preseason Poll

Gettysburg finished just two points shy of Franklin & Marshall for the top spot in the CC Preseason Poll. The Diplomats grabbed six first-place votes and 78 total points, while the Bullets nabbed the remaining four first-place votes and 76 total points. Washington College, coached by former Gettysburg assistant Kate Fowler, was third in the poll with 64 points. Dickinson College (51) and Haverford College (50) rounded out the top five.

 
Season Opener

Gettysburg begins its season at home against Stevenson University on Saturday, Feb. 19, at 1 p.m. The Bullets have not dropped the season opener since a 16-10 loss to Mary Washington in 2000. Spectators are welcome to Clark Field and masks are not required outdoors. The game will also feature live video and live stats.

This story was originally posted on the Gettysburg College Website.