IMMACULATA, Pa. – Following a shortened 2021 season in which nine games were played, the Immaculata women's lacrosse team is set to begin their 2022 campaign for the sought-after Atlantic East Conference Championship title.
 
Last season, the Mighty Macs reached the Atlantic East Quarterfinals, where they lost an 8-7 battle against Marywood. The match came at the end of hard season in which the Macs went 1-5 in conference play overall.
 
"I think the biggest thing we're taking away from the Marywood playoff loss is that we can and should compete with and defeat the top teams in our conference," began head coach Nicole Barretta. "That game gave us a lot of confidence and I believe when we look back at the end of this season and seasons to come, we'll look back on that game as the one that sparked our future success."
 
Last year was Barretta's first as head coach of the Mighty Macs. Now with a full pre-season of work in, the Macs are poised to make an impact in the Atlantic East in 2022.
 
"We're really starting to come into ourselves now that we've had a season with my coaching staff and return 9 of our 12 starters," said Barretta. "There were so many obstacles that we faced last year, so it feels like a luxury to have had the full pre-season to prepare. We are a lot more experienced and are confident rolling into our first game."
 
Immaculata will host Elizabethtown on Wednesday, February 23^rd to kick off the regular season. The game will be the first of nine straight non-conference matches to start the season. The Mighty Macs will then kick off Atlantic East Conference play at home against Cabrini on Thursday, March 31^st.
 
The Macs are led this season by a six-person senior class. Ashley Hankin has been an offensive presence over the past three seasons for the Mighty Macs. In 2021, she scored 13 goals and added an assist while starting in all nine games for the Macs. She is joined by fellow seniors Erynn Kriebel, Katie Mulvey, Mary McKinney, Maddy Terry, and Courtney Floyd. Joining the seniors are a two-person junior class in Kate Mitchell and Nicole Brennan.
 
"I truly feel that at any given moment, we'll have different players step up and be the game-changer," stated Barretta. "The big thing we've stressed this pre-season is that the deeper we can go into our bench without any drop off, the better we'll preform as a team throughout the year. Our seniors have been amazing leaders in helping define our culture and who we want to be on and off the field as a program."
 
The Macs also return a ripe sophomore class including impact players Tessa Liberatoscioli and Kaitlyn Klitchko. Klitchko was the Macs' leading goal-scorer in 2021, scoring 18 goals and four assists while starting in all nine games for the Macs. Liberatoscioli, meanwhile, scored 16 goals over the course of four games played. The pair are joined by returning sophomores Liza Laxton, Gia Laber, Theresa Arata, and Jackie Murray.
 
The Mighty Macs' roster is rounded out by a six-player contingent of freshmen who stand ready to make a difference this season. Ashley Finkbiner joins the team this season and will look to serve as the Macs' brick wall in net on the season. She is joined by fellow freshmen Andrea Petito, Kaitlyn Larkin, Kelsey Caldarelli, Ava Hoffman, and Alex Sicari.
 
"I'm super excited about the freshmen that we've added this year," explained Barretta. "I think we're going to get a lot out of Ava Hoffman and Kelsey Caldarelli in the midfield and Andrea Petito will be an asset defensively for us. Ashley Finkbiner will be in net for us this year and I truly believe she is going to impress a lot of people this season."
 
"Overall, from our student-athletes, to my staff, to myself, we're excited for this season. We're finding our identity and starting to really build confidence both individually and as a team. There's a lot we plan to accomplish this year, and that starts right now," concluded Barretta.
 
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2022 Schedule | 2022 Roster