Newburgh, N.Y. – The Mount Saint Mary College Women's Lacrosse team opens the 2023 season Saturday afternoon with a home non-conference game against Wilkes. Opening Draw with the Colonels is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. with Live Stats and Video available fore those unable to attend.
 
At A Glance: The Knights welcome back 13 players who have game experience at the Mount, including 2022 Second Team All-Skyline Conference selections Kate Crooker (Boonton, N.J.) and Maggie Horan (Stony Point, N.Y.) on defense.
 
The Mount Saint Mary offense needs to replace 47 goals and 65 points lost to graduation from Megan Shalvey, but returns three of its top five point producers from a season ago.
 
The Knights closed out the 2022 season with an 8-7 record, posting the first winning season for the program since going 8-7 in 2014.
 
Head Coach: Mike Lowell returns as the Mount's mentor in 2023 after being named the Interim Head Coach in 2019 and taking over the program full time prior to the 2020 season. 2022 marked the first uninterrupted season for the Knights under Lowell, who saw the 2020 and 2021 seasons disrupted by Covid-19.
 
Taylor Nyberg returns to the staff as an assistant and Lowell has added Nicole Cervone '21, a three-time captain for the Knights, to the staff for the 2023 season.
 
Attack/Midfield
Victoria Ward (Oceanside, N.Y.) returns for her senior season as the top returning goal scorer from a season ago after registering 23 goals and totaling 41 points. Ward finished in a tie for the team lead in 2022 in assists with 18 and added 13 draw controls, 11 groundballs and seven caused turnovers.
 
In her first season at the collegiate level in 2022, Erica Schmidgall (North Massapequa, N.Y.) scored 13 goals and totaled 24 points for the Knights to go along with 12 groundballs. Karlie Ferrucci (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.) scored 20 times for the Mount as a freshman and led the team with 31 groundballs and 20 caused turnovers while also securing 20 draws.
 
Britany Dones (Middletown, N.Y.) is back with the Knights after not competing in 2022. In 2021, her first season with the Mount, Dones started all six games in the shortened conference only schedule and potted six goals while tying for the team lead in draw controls with 11.  
 
Carolyn Del Debbio (Southington, Conn.) appeared in all 15 games in 2022 for the Mount and made 10 starts. Del Debbio, totaled five goals to go along with 13 groundballs, eight caused turnovers and five draw controls.
 
Mount Saint Mary also welcomes back Ella Garner (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.) and Anastazia Sakowicz (Newburgh, N.Y.) in 2023. Garner, who was limited to just one game due to injury in 2022, appeared in five games and scored four goals in 2021. Sakaowicz appeared in seven games for the Mount as a freshman last season and caused one turnover.
 
The Knights will look to a talented group of newcomers to support the scoring attack in 2023. Newcomers to the Mount's roster include: Shannon McGowan (Farmingdale, N.Y.), a three-sport athlete in high school and a member of the Women's Soccer team at the Mount, Antonia Licardi (Pine Bush, N.Y.), a standout lacrosse player and swimmer at Pine Bush High School, Olivia Lynch (Beacon, N.Y.), a four-year letter winner at nearby Beacon High School and Maia Dienos (Saugerties, N.Y.), a two-sport athlete at Saugerties High School.
 
Defense
The Knights' backline is anchored by Second Team All-Conference selections Crooker and Horan. Crooker, a two-time All-League selection for the Knights, finished her second collegiate season second on the team in caused turnovers with 19 and third on the squad in groundballs with 27. Horan, in her first season with the Mount in 2022, was one of five players to start all 15 games last season, was second on the team with 30 groundballs and third with 17 caused turnovers.
 
The Knights welcome back Alyssa Alvarez (Harrison, N.Y.) who appeared in nine games and made six starts in 2022, Michelle Licata (Plainview, N.Y.) and Sinead Henry (Pearl River, N.Y.). Licata appeared in 10 games, starting two, in 2022 with Henry limited to just a single contest due to injury.
 
A pair of newcomers enter the fold in 2023 in Briana Fassett (New Milford, Conn.) and Gabby DiPalma (Howard Beach, N.Y.). Fassett was a three-sport athlete at Division Ave. High School and an All-Conference selection in Lacrosse, while DiPalma was a team captain at the Mary Louis Academy.
 
Goalie
Liz Petrellese (Levittown, N.Y.) is back after starting all 15 games in net as a freshman in 2022. Petrellese played 700:01 of a possible 902:31 a year ago and finished the year fourth on the team in groundballs with 23 while making 132 saves.

Petrellese, who earned Skyline Conference Defensive Player of the Week Honors once as a freshman, closed the 2022 year fourth in the Skyline Conference in save percentage, sixth in the league in saves per game and eighth in the conference in goals against average.
 
The Schedule
After hosting Wilkes on Saturday, the Knights will play three straight games on the road before returning to Kaplan Field to host Maine Maritime on March 9.
 
The Knights welcome Castleton to Kaplan Field on March 25 for its Morgan's Message game and begin Skyline Conference play with a trip to Maritime on March 31. The Knights will also travel to league rivals Farmingdale State (4/12), USMMA (4/22) and Manhattanville (4/26).
 
Home conference matchups include College of Mount Saint Vincent (4/4), St. Joseph's-L.I. (4/15), Purchase (4/18) and Old Westbury (4/29) on the program's One Love Foundation benefit game.