After an abbreviated 2021 season that featured a schedule playing limited conference opponents twice and only nine of 11 league teams participating, Liberty League women’s lacrosse teams are looking forward to turning the page to 2022 with a full round-robin conference schedule and all 11 teams taking part.
Ithaca College, the 2021 Liberty League regular season champions have been recognized as the 2022 preseason favorite in a vote by the league’s head coaches. The Bombers were picked to finish atop the 2022 conference standings with 100 points and ten first-place votes (coaches cannot vote for their own teams). William Smith College, the defending 2021 Liberty League Champions, were not far behind in second as the Herons collected 91 points and one first-place vote. Clarkson University and Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) round out the top-four teams with 75 and 73 points respectively. Union College was selected to finish fifth with 64 points and the Dutchwomen were followed by Vassar College (50), St. Lawrence University (41), University of Rochester (40), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI; 31), Skidmore College (30) and Bard College (10).
Ithaca and William Smith are both featured in the 2022 Inside Lacrosse/Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (ILWomen/IWLCA) and USA Lacrosse preseason polls. In the ILWomen/IWLCA poll, the Bombers check in at fourth and the Herons are sixth. In the USA Lacrosse poll, William Smith is ranked at No. 6 and Ithaca is No. 7.
The Bombers (14-2, 8-0 Liberty League) saw much success in 2021 as the team finished the regular season with an 11-0 overall record, putting together a 16-game winning streak that dated back to the shortened 2020 campaign (5-0). They earned a trip to the league championship game for the third straight season and an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, where Ithaca advanced to the third round. There will be some holes to fill with the departure of eight of the team’s 12 seniors from last year, including 2021 Liberty League Offensive Player of the Year and first-team All-American Jacqui Hallack. However, four are back for a fifth-year to lead the 2022 squad (Rachel Rosenberg, Meg Motkowski, Alexa Ritchie and Madison Boutureira), who were starters in all 16 games last season. Rosenberg, a IWLCA second team All-American will anchor the team’s defense after leading the Bombers in ground balls (38) and caused turnovers (55). She was also second on the team in draw controls with 55 and Rosenberg handed out five assists. Motkowski and Boutureira are two of Ithaca’s top offensive weapons as the duo were second and third on the team in points, goals and assists last season. Motkowski scored 44 goals and added 13 assists for 44 points while Boutureira notched 30 goals and 16 assists, compiling 46 points. Ritchie will also be key to the Bomber offense with 31 points a year ago on 24 goals and seven assists.
William Smith captured its fifth straight Liberty League title in 2021 and reached the third round of the NCAA tournament. The Herons finished the year with a 10-5 overall record and open the 2022 season with 19 returning players. There will be big shoes to fill with the graduation of Mekayla Montgomery, the two-time Liberty League Defensive Player of the Year and 2021 IWLCA first team All-American. However, William Smith does have much of its firepower from a year ago with the return of 2021 Liberty League Rookie of the Year and IWLCA third team All-American Maddie Montgomery. Maddie led the team with 49 goals and 57 points. She had at least two goals in 13 of 15 games along with eight hat tricks. Maddie also recorded eight assists, good for second on the team. Anna Murphy and Payton McMahon will help boost the offense. Murphy handed out a team-best nine assists to go along with 24 goals and 33 points while Payton McMahon had 21 goals and seven assists for 28 points. William Smith also welcomes back Molly Davis who had 16 caused turnovers, 25 ground balls and a team-high 56 draw controls.
Clarkson finished the 2021 campaign with a 5-6 overall record and a 3-4 mark against conference opponents narrowly missing the Liberty League tournament. The Golden Knights will look to make some noise in the standings this season with four All-Liberty League selections headlining the 2022 squad. Maddie Barnum, a First Team honoree, had a standout rookie season with Clarkson last year, where she was second on the team in goals (25) and third in points (29). She was also tops on the team in draw controls with 39. Sydney Roderick (Second Team) paced the team in points, totaling 45 on the year, and assists, she dished out 27. She was tops in the league in assists per game with 2.45 and was seventh in points per game, averaging 4.09. Grace Hagberg (Second Team) will also contribute offensively after recording 25 goals for 25 points last year and she was second on the team in draw controls (34). Anna Patterson (Second Team) will shore up the defense. She picked up 15 ground balls, caused 10 turnovers and won 18 draw controls in 2021.
RIT closed out the season with a 7-5 overall record and 3-5 in league play in 2021. The Tigers will miss All-Liberty League first team selections attack Alanna Fallone and goalkeeper Paulina Goodermote, who graduated in May. Fallone led the team in scoring (57G, 2A) and Goodermote led the conference in saves per game (11.75) and was second in save percentage (.498). RIT does open the 2022 season with a veteran presence with 15 upperclassmen on the roster, including All-Liberty League second team pick McKenna Joint as well as graduate students Michaela Mills and Colette Rigas. Joint started all 12 games last year for the Tigers and she was fourth on the team in scoring with 18 points on 12 goals and six assists. She was tops on the team in ground balls (30) and caused turnovers (24). She also recorded 25 draw controls, good for third on the team. Mills played in 11 games for RIT, she scooped up 13 ground balls and accounted for six caused turnovers. Rigas did not play in 2021 but in 2020, she started all three games for the Tigers, scoring six goals and adding an assist for seven points.
Union (4-5, 3-3 Liberty League) wrapped up the 2021 season with its first appearance in the Liberty League postseason since 2016. There is a new coach in Schenectady for the first time in 11 years with interim head coach Jessica Davos at the helm for the 2022 season. Davos will look to a trio of All-Liberty League selections in Elizabeth Hernberg (First Team), Sydney McPalton (Second Team) and Dana Truini (Second Team) to lead this year’s team. Hernberg will bolster the defensive corps; she was tops on the team with 23 ground balls and second in caused turnovers with eight last season. Among league leaders, she was seventh in ground balls per game (2.56). McParlton will guide the Dutchwomen offense after pacing the team with 27 goals and handing out seven assists for 34 points. She was also third on the team with 18 draw controls. Truini will help on both sides of the field, she scored 12 goals and added an assist for 13 points while also producing eight caused turnovers and 23 ground balls. She was one of the most accurate shooters in the country last year, ranking third in Division III among players with at least 10 goals (.800).
Vassar is poised to improve upon a 2-4 overall record and the Brewers are eyeing a return to the Liberty League tournament for the first time since 2019 with eight returning starters from a year ago. Goalkeeper Lauren Johns returns between the pipes for the Brewers. The 2021 All-Liberty League Honorable Mention pick was 2-4 overall to go along with a .440 save percentage and 16.47 goals against average. She was second among the league’s goalies in saves per game (11.67) and sixth in save percentage. Johns made 70 saves on the year and scooped up 11 ground balls, good for second on the team. The duo of Ashley Roberts and Maddy Kretten highlight the squad’s returning scorers; they were ranked third and fourth on the team in points with 14 and 13 respectively. They each netted nine goals and combined for nine assists. Roberts also had four ground balls and caused two turnovers while Kretten totaled six ground balls and caused three turnovers.
St. Lawrence capped off the 2021 season with its first trip back to the Liberty League postseason since 2017. The Saints finished the year at 4-4 with a 3-3 mark against conference opponents. They welcome a new head coach in Chelsea Martin this year. Martin is no stranger to New York and Division III women’s lacrosse as a four-year player at SUNY Cortland. She will entrust All-Liberty League second team honoree Izzy Silvia and Honorable Mention selection Charlotte Powell to lead St. Lawrence this season. Silvia tallied a team-high 35 points; scoring 24 goals and dishing out a team-best 11 assists. She was eighth in the league in goals per game (3.00), sixth in assists per game (1.38) and fifth in points per game (4.38). Silvia also won 26 draw controls, caused 12 turnovers and picked up seven ground balls. Powell registered a team-best 25 goals and had six assists for 31 points, good for second on the Saints. Kate Wilson is also back; she had seven ground balls and five caused turnovers for St. Lawrence in eight games.
For the first time since 2011, the
University of Rochester has a new head coach on the bench with the hiring of Carly Ritchlin in July. Ritchlin is familiar with the Division III women’s lacrosse scene, coming from an 18-year coaching stint at nearby SUNY Geneseo and she is also a SUNY Cortland alumnae. The Yellowjackets are young with 10 first-year players in 2022 but a core group of returning players should bode well for the team. Grace Crochiere (All-Liberty League Honorable Mention) had a breakout rookie campaign in 2021. She started all nine games last year for Rochester; tallying at least one point in eight games. She totaled nine goals and two assists for 11 points. She also picked up 24 ground balls, won nine draw controls and caused five turnovers. Lucy Haggerty and Kate Lindsay are also back for the Yellowjackets after starting all nine games last season. Haggerty recorded 14 points on six goals and eight assists along with 13 draw controls while Lindsay caused five turnovers and picked up three ground balls.
RPI was one of two Liberty League women’s lacrosse teams that did not get the chance to play in 2021 and are eager to get things underway in 2022. The Engineers did play three games in 2020, where they went 3-0 before the season was cancelled. Sabrina Torcellini and Meg Shay played in all three of those games in 2020. Torcellini registered a team-high seven goals, three of which were free position goals. She also scooped up three ground balls and won six draws. Shay netted six goals to go along with three ground balls and three caused turnovers. She paced the team in draw controls with 15. Other key players to watch for RPI this season is Rylie Maready (5G, 3A, 10 draw controls) and goalkeeper Olivia Kimball.
Skidmore only played in six games last season and with seven starters from a year ago returning to Saratoga Springs, the Thoroughbreds are poised to improve in 2022. The team’s top-two scorers from 2021 are back in Amelia Bassett and Maddy Marr. Bassett was tops on the team with 24 points. In just six games, she scored a team-best 19 goals and recorded five assists. Marr was second on the team with 19 points on seven goals and a team-high 12 assists. Charlotte Cass and Claire Loos headline Skidmore’s defensive returnees. Cass led the team in ground balls (11) and caused turnovers (10) while Loos was second in both categories with 10 ground balls and nine caused turnovers.
Bard also did not get the opportunity to play in 2021 and the Raptors welcome a new head coach in Rachel Vallarelli to kick things off in 2022. Vallarelli played collegiate lacrosse at UMass and has coaches at a variety of programs, most recently at Purchase College. A pair of seniors, Rachael Yoder and Emma Heffron headline the 2022 squad. Both played and started all three games for the Raptors in 2020 before the season was cancelled. Yoder was second on the team with 14; she netted a team-best 12 goals and recorded two assists. She paced the team in draw controls with 22 wins while also scooping up nine ground balls and causing eight turnovers. Heffron scored two goals while picking up eight ground balls and causing three turnovers.
The 2022 season gets started on Wednesday, February 23 with the University of Rochester traveling to local foe D’Youville College and RIT hosting Nazareth College. Both games are scheduled for 3 PM. Things get into full swing that weekend (February 25 & 26) with eight teams competing in non-conference action.
2022 Liberty League Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Poll
Place. Team, Points
1. Ithaca, 100 (10)
2. William Smith, 91 (1)
3. Clarkson, 75
4. RIT, 73
5. Union, 64
6. Vassar, 50
7. St. Lawrence, 41
8. Rochester, 40
9. RPI, 31
10. Skidmore, 30
11. Bard, 10
(First-place votes are in parentheses)