It’s lacrosse season on Long Island once again, and despite the recent frigid temperatures, excitement for the new season is red hot.
The Hofstra University women’s lacrosse team performed well, though below their lofty standards last season. A 9-7 overall record with a 4-4 mark in Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) play left the Pride on the outside looking in on the conference tournament. Despite being excluded from the postseason, Hofstra head coach Shannon Smith took plenty of positives from last season.
“I’m just really proud of the resilience of our team last year and the growth that all of our players have had,” Smith said. “[Whether it was] playing on the field and actually getting the minutes or getting the reps on scout team or through practice minutes there was a lot of growth from each of our players.”
Hofstra has a gauntlet of a schedule this year before they even get to CAA play, with matchups against No. 6 Princeton University and No. 7 University of Maryland. While the prestige of their nonconference schedule is daunting, attacker Nikki Mennella welcomes the challenge and sees it as an opportunity.
“We have a hard schedule this year, we play Maryland [and] we play Princeton, and we have a goal to beat those teams and put our team on the map,” Mennella said.
Mennella was the engine that powered the Pride’s attack last season; Mennella had one of the greatest offensive seasons not just in Hofstra history, but in the history of college lacrosse: 62 goals and 37 assists for 99 points in just 15 games. Her 6.60 points per game set a CAA record and is the 11th highest mark in NCAA lacrosse history. She was named CAA Offensive Player of the Week five times and has been showered in accolades since the season ended: CAA Attacker of the Year, Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association All-Region, two-time National Offensive Player of the Week and preseason All-American honorable mention.
“I’m super grateful to have had the successful season that I had last year and [being named All-American] is a huge honor,” Mennella said. “[It] definitely wouldn’t be possible without my teammates and coaches setting me up to be that successful … Every day at practice [my teammates] prepare and push me to make me a better player.”
Smith knows what Mennella brings to the table offensively and wants to see her continued emergence as a leader.
“[Mennella’s] always going to get her goals, points and assists. For [Mennella] it’s about continuing to build that leadership, continuing to grow and lead the offense, which she has done so well,” Smith said. “The challenge this year will be what types of defenses teams throw at us.”
The leadership of Mennella, alongside her fellow captains Christine Dannenfelser and Luchianna Cardello, will be crucial for the Pride this year. Hofstra has 20 combined sophomores and freshmen on this year’s team. The leadership core understands the important role they will play this season and in the development of the underclassmen.
“[We] try to be a voice for them and let them know we’re here if they have any questions,” Mennella said. “They’re definitely fitting in well.”
Mennella isn’t alone on offense; Julia Harris, Kristen Redding and Kayleigh Bender all had at least 22 goals last season and are all returning. After a year together, Smith hopes the quartet can build on last year’s scoring prowess.
“I think just having a full year underneath [us] and building that chemistry and that growth is really going to help us going into the season,” Smith said. “Playing on offense is all about having that chemistry, that connection and understanding where each of them is going to be on the field. It’s been really fun to watch that grow and have them build that chemistry with other players on the field too.”
Bender was the surprise breakout of the bunch. She scored 31 goals on her way to CAA Freshman of the Year honors. She and Mennella play very different styles of lacrosse, which keeps defenses on their toes. Mennella can create space even while doubled, and often weaves in and out of the defense before shooting at point-blank range. Bender doesn’t need that space; her rocket of a shot is incredibly accurate and can be fired from a distance. Mennella is excited to see what Bender will do this season.
“She’s much more confident [this year], I could see her doing really big things again,” Smith said.
Hofstra’s prolific offense may need to put up goals early and often this season. While the defense is led by Dannenfelser – who was All-CAA First Team last year and was honored as a preseason All-CAA selection – the rest of the unit is young. While it will take some time for the defensive rotations to take shape, coach Smith has been impressed by a few newcomers.
“Practice and fall ball is a little bit different from when you put your jersey on, and the games mean a lot,” Smith said. “Grace Varley and Cece Thurmond on the defensive side of the field had a really tremendous fall.”
Of course, Cardello will once again be the last line of defense as the starting goalkeeper.
“Everyone loves playing in front of her. She’s been our starting goalkeeper for four years, so to have that in the net is really, really big for us,” Smith said.
Despite the question marks defensively, Dannenfelser should provide stability.
“[Dannenfelser] is a very fiery leader and is very passionate. [She] wants to be successful and wants our team to be successful,” Smith said. “She has a very high lacrosse IQ, and the team really believes in her and respects her.”
The reality of collegiate athletics is that players only get a certain amount of time in their college careers, and the Pride lost several key contributors from last season: Angelina Sparacio, Megan Flannery, Kyndall Jackson, Julia West, Emily Weigand and Brynn Hepting – all either graduated or transferred. Hepting was a captain, and Sparacio and Flannery each contributed double-digit goals last season.
“Anytime you lose a senior class, you lose leadership, and you lose those veterans who have poured their heart into this program for four years,” Smith said. “I think that our team this year has a lot of great leaders in the juniors and seniors, and I’m really excited to watch them take over that role.”
As for a breakout candidate? Mennella has her eyes on Kate Lemery, who started nine games and had 11 points in her freshman campaign last year.
“She played a bunch last year, but she was also just a freshman, so I definitely see her having more confidence,” Mennella said. “She’s going to play a big role for us.”
The goal for the season is obvious: win the CAA championship. But Smith and her squad understand that there are many steps to take and smaller boxes to check.
“We’ve got to take it game by game and find the ways to win a lacrosse game,” Smith said. “If we can do that and take care of each game and our goals, hopefully we find ourselves in a really good position to be competing for a CAA championship at the end of the year.”
Step one is making their way back to the conference tournament for the second time in three years, and that quest will start on March 14 against Elon University after over a month of nonconference clashes.
