GRANTHAM, Pa. – The Messiah Women's Lacrosse team secured the No. 2 seed in the Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth Tournament after finishing the regular season 6-1 in conference. The Falcons will host the No. 2 Stevenson University Mustangs in one of the semifinal games on Wednesday, April 30 at 5:30 p.m. at the Witmer Family Lacrosse Stadium.
The No. 1 York College Spartans will host the No. 4 Widener University Pride at 7:00 p.m. The winners of both contests will meet on Saturday for the MAC Commonwealth Championship, hosted by the highest remaining seed.
Messiah has appeared in 21 conference tournaments, making it to the championship game in 12. The Falcons hold a 21-13 overall record in the Conference Tournament, collecting eight conference championships, most recently in the 2021 season.
Fans should note that since this is a Middle Atlantic Conference Postseason Tournament, tickets are required for all fans. The prices for tickets are as follows: Adults: $8, Senior Citizens (65+): $6, Youth (7-17): $6, MAC Students (with Valid School ID) and Children 6 and under: Free.
See below for a quick preview of the MAC Commonwealth Tournament field:
No. 2 Messiah University Falcons
13-4 Overall Record | 6-1 MAC Commonwealth
Season Recap
Messiah has played strong this season, with three of their four losses coming to top 10 teams. Notably, the Falcons defeated the No. 5 Salisbury Sea Gulls on the road with a 10-9 overtime win after
Grace Pettitt scored with four seconds in regulation to tie the score. The Falcons were undefeated in conference play prior to the last regular season game against the No. 1 York Spartans. Messiah is third in the conference with 13.65 goals per game and 19.71 points per game.
Hayley Lettinga ranks third in the conference with 3.12 goals per game while
Grace Pettitt is second with 4.44 points per game.
Players to Watch
#6
Hayley Lettinga – 53 goals, 2 assists, .431 shot percentage, 10 caused turnovers, 20 ground balls
#21
Grace Pettitt – 31 goals, 40 assists. .525 shot percentage, 27 ground balls
#11
Emma Hagg – 74 draw controls, 56 caused turnovers, 67 ground balls
#7
Katie Bukiewicz – 28 goals, 3 assists, 65 draw controls, 17 caused turnovers, 29 ground balls
No. 3 Stevenson University Mustangs
11-6 Overall Record | 5-2 MAC Commonwealth
Season Recap
The Mustangs began their season 6-4 with 2 two losses coming against top 10 teams. Stevenson dropped their conference opener to Messiah before earning three conference wins before being defeated by the Spartans of York. They finished their season with wins over Albright and Widener to solidify their spot in the MAC Commonwealth Tournament.
Players to Watch
#16 Kara Yarusso – 57 goals, 20 assists, 79 draw controls, 24 caused turnovers, 42 ground balls
#25 Olivia Galati – 36 goals, 13 assists, 13 ground balls
#33 Sophia Murray – 34 goals, 13 assists, 90 draw controls, 32 caused turnovers, 48 ground balls
#23 Isabelle VanEmburgh – 24 goals, 13 assists, 19 draw controls, 15 caused turnovers, 23 ground balls
When They Met
The Falcons served as Stevenson's first conference opponent of the 2025 season. Messiah took a 9-6 lead at halftime and added eight goals in the second half to earn the 17-10 win.
Hannah Gawne and
Grace Pettitt each had three goals while Pettitt also added three assists. Kara Yarusso netted four goals for the Mustangs while Erin Steinberg had a goal with three assists.
Grace Hejeebu made a season high 12 saves in net for the Falcons.
No. 1 York College Spartans
14-3 Overall Record | 7-0 MAC Commonwealth
Season Recap
The Spartans spent their season climbing the IWLCA National Poll as their three losses came to top 10 teams early in the season. After starting 6-3 on the season, York earned the win over Mary Washington in a non-conference game before winning seven straight regular season Commonwealth games to earn the top seed in the MAC Commonwealth Tournament.
Players to Watch
#1 Gianna Huet – 34 goals, 29 assists, .540 shot percentage
#10 Zoe Kluegel – 43 goals, 16 assists, .512 shot percentage 17 ground balls
#34 Sydney Mentzer – 33 goals, 10 assists, 62 draw controls, 20 caused turnovers, 31 ground balls
# 13 Bella Garabo – 13-3 in goal, 114 saves, .540 save percentage
When They Met
The Spartans and Falcons met at the conclusion of the regular season for a showdown between the two remaining undefeated teams in conference play. York held an 8-6 advantage at halftime before playing lights out defense to outscore the Falcons 8-1 in the second half and secure the 16-7 win to earn the top seed in the MAC Commonwealth Tournament. Jordan
Lewicki led the Falcons with three goals with
Katie Bukiewicz adding two. Gianna Huet and Logan Ward each netted four for the Spartans.
No. 4 Widener University Pride
8-9 Overall Record | 4-3 MAC Commonwealth
Season Recap
Widener began their season 1-5 before earning three straight wins against Arcadia, Misericordia, and Ursinus. After dropping their first conference game to the Falcons, the Pride earned the win in the next three conference contests. The Pride's three conference losses come at the hands of the three teams in the MAC Commonwealth Tournament.
Players to Watch
#1 Clark Trowbridge – 38 goals, 70 draw controls, 25 caused turnovers, 36 ground balls
#8 Chloe Mingioni – 33 goals, 26 assists, .434 shot percentage
#4 Alex Krohn – 13 goals, 32 assists, .480 shot percentage
#20 Claire Lynch – 27 goals, 42 draw controls, 24 caused turnovers, 30 ground balls
When They Met
The Falcons and Pride played an early season conference game, squaring off back on April 2. Widener held a 6-5 advantage at halftime, but the Messiah outscored the Pride 6-1 in the second half to take the 11-7 win.
Hayley Lettinga led the Falcons with three goals and an assist with
Hannah Gawne adding a pair of goals and an assist.
Grace Hejeebu made five saves in the game, four coming in the second half. Clark Trowbridge led the Pride with four goals.
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