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Holy Family University Athletics

Holy Family University Athletics
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Stephen Pellegrino

Tigers Open Season Versus St. Thomas Aquinas

2/19/2020 12:00:00 AM

Philadelphia, Pa. – The Holy Family University women's lacrosse team will open the 2020 season on Thursday as the Tigers host St. Thomas Aquinas College in non-conference action starting at 12 p.m.  Due to field conditions at Tiger Field, the game will be played at the Lacrosse Complex on the campus of The College of New Jersey in Ewing, N.J.  The Tigers will then travel to face Molloy College in another non-conference match up on Sunday.
 
All-Time Series vs. St. Thomas Aquinas
The Tigers and Spartans have met only three times since the 2009 season.  STAC owns a 3-0 record over Holy Family in the all-time series, including a 16-5 victory in last year's match up in Sparkill, N.Y.
 
All-Time Series vs. Molloy
Holy Family and Molloy will be meeting for the seventh time since 2009 and the first time since 2016 when the two teams square off on Sunday.  The Lions are 6-0 in the all-time series, however the previous three meetings have been determined by two goals or less.  Molloy won the last meeting in the series back in 2016 by the score of 16-14.
 
Where We Left Off
Despite finishing the 2019 campaign with a 3-13 overall record, the Tigers finished the season off strong going 2-2 down the stretch to cap the year.  Holy Family will look to carry that success from seasons end into the new 2020 season.
 
Head Coach Marisa DeAngelis
Marisa DeAngelis enters her third season at the helm of the women's lacrosse program.  Over the first two years DeAngelis has grown the program and the 2020 season will feature the largest recruiting class since the program's inaugural season in 2009. 
 
DeAngelis on the 2020 Recruiting Class: "This is just a really special and exciting time to be a part of the Holy Family Women's lacrosse team. We only have four upperclassmen, the remaining 13 are made up of seven sophomores and six freshmen. Our freshman class as a whole are extremely competitive players and aren't afraid to take chances which helps push the rest of our team to want to be better. This group is full of extremely talented, athletic players. If people don't know who our freshmen are now, they will by the time we open conference play."
 
DeAngelis on the 2020 Season: "I am super excited for what will come of the 2020 season. Since Coach [Brittany] Ballack and I took over this program it has been our goal to create a culture within our team that promotes competitiveness, respect, and a strong work ethic on and off the field. Entering into my third season, I believe we finally have achieved this goal. The 2020 HFU lacrosse team has been working effortlessly since the beginning of September to train both on and off the field to prepare for our season. Our team was picked seventh in the CACC preseason poll for the second year in a row which I think will work in our favor because we are going to surprise our opponents. I'd like to think of this team as a dark horse for this coming season. We are a brand new team this year and we are looking to make a statement in the CACC."
 
Top Returning Statistical Leaders: Offense
Casey Brown (Philadelphia, Pa./Little Flower), Sr. – 35 goals | 9 assists | 44 points
Tatceyana Pulley (Edgewater Park, N.J./Burlington City), So. – 15 goals | 2 assists | 17 points
 
Top Returning Statistical Leaders: Defense
Yasmine Machlof (Huntingdon Valley, Pa./Lower Moreland), So. – 33 groundballs | 18 caused turnovers
C. Brown – 32 groundballs | 13 caused turnovers
Maura Coleman (Lower Moreland, Pa./Little Flower), So. – 27 groundballs | 8 caused turnovers
 
2020 Schedule
The Tigers will face six non-conference opponents throughout the season, including a four game stretch to open the season. Two of the six non-conference opponents were among the top-25 nationally ranked teams in the IWLCA Preseason Season Poll in Division II, including No. 15 University of New Haven (Feb. 29) and No. 22 New York Tech (March 23). Holy Family's first CACC matchup is home against Post University on March 21. 
 
DeAngelis on the 2020 Schedule: "We are always saying if we want to be the best we have to play the best. Our non-conference schedule has some strong opponents and I believe this will help prepare us for when we open up conference play. Both STAC and Molloy are strong teams and these will be hard fought games throughout. However, our girls I feel are fully prepared going into these games. We were lucky enough to play Millersville University and Mount Saint Mary's College as preseason scrimmages and that gave us the opportunity to play and see where our strengths were and weaknesses. This allowed us to adjust and shift our focus to prepare for these opening games."
 
 
- HFU -

 
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