Women’s lacrosse searching for new scoring leader

By Paige Apps, Sports Reporter

Who will step up? That’s the question for women’s lacrosse this season after losing their top two scorers from last year. Caroline Netti (40) and Paige Stachura (36) finished 2024 with the most goals on the team, but both have since graduated from the program. 

The obvious heir to lead the new Griff offense is sophomore Maddie Fitzgerald, who ended her rookie campaign with 29 goals, helping her earn MAAC Rookie of the Year honors and be named to the MAAC All-Rookie Team. 

At Northwestern this past Sunday, the Griffs faced off against the nationally ranked #2 team. Eight minutes into the first quarter, Fitzgerald tallied her first goal of the season, and the team’s first goal of the season, cutting Northwestern’s lead to 3–1. 

The Griffs then traveled to face St. Bonaventure on Wednesday, where Fitzgerald picked up two more points for her 2025 campaign. Early in the second quarter, she assisted senior Hailey Rooney’s first goal of the contest, before tallying her own goal two minutes later. 

This past week’s matches marked the first of six contests the team will play on the road before their home opener against Robert Morris on Mar. 8. In the meantime, the blue and gold head down to Georgia to face Kennesaw State this upcoming Sunday at noon.

Photo courtesy of Chloe Breen