On Saturday, May 3, Villanova women’s lacrosse fell to No. 1-seeded University of Denver, 9-14, in the Big East Championship. Villanova concludes its historic season with an overall record of 11-7 and 4-2 in the Big East.
It was Villanova’s first appearance in the Big East championship game in program history.
“[The team] believed that from the start of this year, if they worked hard enough, that they would be in this position,” head coach Jill Batcheller said postgame. “We’re so proud of them for that.”
After the game, senior attacker Sydney Pappas, sophomore midfielder Rose Christie and senior defender Maddy Stoddard were named to the Big East All-Tournament Team.
Pappas recorded a game-high five goals. Freshman midfielder Leslie Iorio finished with two goals and two draw controls. Senior goalkeeper Cate Gallagher had five saves on the day.
The Wildcats struck first in the opening minutes with a goal from Pappas. Sophomore midfielder Rose Christie got the assist, her first of three on the day. Denver answered back with 7:29 on the clock to even the score.
Both teams added one goal before the first quarter expired to tie it, 2-2.
Denver took over the second quarter and netted seven unanswered goals. Iorio ended the Pioneers’ streak with a goal assisted by Christie with 4:04 left in the period. Denver scored two more goals to put the ‘Cats down, 10-3, at the half.
With 9:45 on the clock, Christie scored off a pass from senior Sami Carey to put the score at 4-11. Pappas added two more back-to-back goals to end the quarter with Villanova trailing, 13-6.
Despite possessing the ball for the majority of the fourth quarter, the ‘Cats were unable to catch up to the Pioneers. After a couple of missed eight-meter attempts, Villanova scored again, thanks to a quick shot from Iorio. Pappas netted the final goal of the game, with 27 seconds remaining.
Although the championship game did not go as planned, the future is bright for Villanova women’s lacrosse. The Wildcats will return some of their strongest players, such as Christie, Iorio and redshirt sophomores Emma Verhoust and Elena Torres.
Christie was named to the All-Big East First Team after the starting midfielder totaled 16 goals, 17 ground balls and nine caused turnovers in the regular season. Iorio and Torres were both named to the All-Big East Second Team. Torres ranked third on the team in points and currently ranks No. 2 in program history for most free-position points, with 12. Iorio led the Villanova midfield in total points, with 30, and collected three Big East Freshman of the Week Honors.
“[Iorio] is just a very versatile player,” Batcheller said. “I think we’re going to be leaning on her a lot in the coming years.
Verhoust, a draw specialist, was the singular Wildcat unanimously named to the All-Big East First Team after passing the program record of 165 draws in a season.
Batcheller expressed high hopes for the future after the conclusion of the game.
“Now, it’s time for the next players to wear the jersey, and continue to maintain and leave this program better than they found it,” Batcheller.
