New team, new season, same goals for women’s lacrosse

By Paige Apps, Sports Reporter

After a strong performance from graduating upperclassmen last spring, the Canisius women’s lacrosse team found themselves in the playoffs for the fourth straight season, but fell to Siena in the first round. Moving into the 2025 season, this year’s roster saw plenty of new faces added to the lineup with their 11 incoming freshmen; the team’s majority is now underclassmen.

“I think going from last year, there are definitely a lot of holes that needed to be filled and we’re still trying to work through that. Everyone’s doing a really good job of adjusting to their new roles, because from last year to this year, everybody’s roles have changed,” sophomore Maddie Fitzgerald commented on the state of this season’s team. As a result of a heavy underclassmen team, it’s inevitable that there will be a period of readjusting, particularly during the non-conference games at the beginning of the season.

Of these “holes” to be filled on the team, the goalie position is arguably the most important. After last year’s starting goalie Jody Chu entered the transfer portal, it’s left a lot of questions pertaining to who will fill the net this season. Two names stand out on the roster – sophomore Olivia Licardi and freshman Camille Gartland. Gartland has been out with an injury for the past couple of weeks, so it’s expected that Licardi will assume the starting position, at least for the time being.

With the season right around the corner, the team prepares to head on the road for the first six non-conference games. The first of these games is against nationally ranked #2 Northwestern, a tough challenge for the Griffs, but one they have been preparing for in practice by simulating the environment the match will bring this Sunday. “A big thing this year has been working hard, but having fun while working hard. And I think if we bring that attitude into Northwestern, we’ll make it the best experience possible,” says Fitzgerald.

While there’s a new roster for this new season, the team remains dedicated to maintaining the work ethic that the program has been built on. The upcoming game at Northwestern opens the season at 2 p.m. this Sunday.

Photo courtesy of @CanisiusWLAX on Twitter/X