Villanova women’s lacrosse launched into the spring season with strong momentum. The Wildcats racked up a combined 50 goals in its first three games against Binghamton (20-4), Saint Joseph’s (14-10) and a hard-fought loss against No. 16 Navy (17-16).

“After six to nine months of practicing against ourselves, the team was just really excited to get back into game mode,” head coach Jill Batcheller said. “I think the players have felt from the beginning of the year just really prepared and really confident in their skills, and that’s really translating into their success as a unit.”

Throughout the opening games, the team has seen leadership and skills from numerous players. However, freshman midfielder Leslie Iorio stands out as one of Villanova’s most talented rookies.

In her first week playing for the Wildcats, the Danville, CA native earned Big East Freshman of the Week recognition for her two goals against Binghamton.

“It feels good that the hard work of the fall is paid off,” Iorio said. “But it’s not just an individual game. It’s a whole team score. Everyone coming together makes it a lot easier.”

Iorio’s second game was a family affair. She was competing against her older sister Lauren at Saint Joseph’s. Though her sibling scored the first goal of the game for the Hawks, Iorio responded with four goals of her own to lead Villanova to the win. 

“There’s a rivalry between [Villanova and Saint Joseph’s],” Iorio said. “It was a personal battle for me, especially because this was going to be the first and last time [my sister and I] were going to play against each other. [The team] knew that it was going to be a mental battle as well as a physical battle but once we got started, we just didn’t stop.”

Apart from Iorio, the two strongest members of the ‘Cats’ offensive front have been senior attackers Sami Carey and Sydney Pappas. 

In the Binghamton game, Carey broke a career and program single-game record, collecting 11 points off five goals and six assists, while Pappas finished the game with three goals for herself. 

“Sami has grown every year that she’s been here, and she’s always had really good vision,” Batcheller said. “She’s adding more discipline to her looks that she’s taking on offense and has really expanded who she’s feeding to. She’s just playing with a lot of confidence, like a senior should. She and Sydney Pappas are really controlling the pace of the offense together. They’re taking risks, keeping the ball moving fast, and doing a really good job.”

The team is also proving that a great offense comes from a great defense. 

In the Binghamton game, while the Wildcat offense put up 39 shots, the defense only allowed the Bearcats nine shots. Even in the Saint Joseph’s game, with the pressure increased and the point differential closer, the Wildcats stayed composed.  

“We were watching film with the team, and it was awesome to see how any time the ball touched the ground, we had two or three Villanova players surrounding it,” Batcheller said. “That shows the pride [the team] has in getting the ball back and giving the ball to the offense. That gives confidence to the attack too, knowing that they’re going to get an extra opportunity. So they’re more willing to take risks and keep playing fast.”

All these games, including the loss to Navy, show a large improvement from the team compared to last year when it lost to St. Joseph’s, 14-7, and Navy, 18-9. 

Though, for the most part, this comes from the strong upperclassmen presence on the team, the underclassmen and the team’s eleven new freshmen are also huge game-changers and factors to the Wildcats’ success. 

“The freshmen have come in and done a really good job early on, just bringing so much confidence and energy and strength,” sophomore defender Katie Clark said. “Each of them, whether it’s midfield, attack, or defense, have all stepped up into their roles. They’ve shown that on and off the field, and it’s helping us. We’re excited to see where they all go from there.”

“[The freshmen] just bring a punch to the team,” Iorio said. “We have the intensity, we have the heart and we want as bad as anyone else. I think bringing that in and having eleven of us doing it really makes a giant impact on the team.”