By Colton Pankiewicz, Sports Editor
The Golden Griffins women’s lacrosse team has started their season with a 7–1 record, the best start to a season in program history. Their seven straight wins make the longest win streak since 2017. Their 7–1 stretch to open 2024 marks the eighth-highest win percentage in the country, at .875.
With a 25+ goal differential through the eight contests, the Griffs have their largest margin of wins against New Hampshire (16–6) and Central Michigan (15–9). Canisius has also benefited from their defensive play, holding opponents to 8.5 goals a game. Jody Chu, the Griffs’ starting goalie, currently averages 8.62 goals-against average, standing at 11th in the nation. The defense earned praise from head coach Russel Allen after their most recent win at Robert Morris.
"Our defense deserves a lot of the credit. They really saved us when we were struggling to find the back of the net,” said Allen.
Senior defenseman Jill Galanti has been another contributor to the effort of keeping the ball out of the opposing team’s possession. Galanti’s 3.33 ground balls per game puts her ninth in the country.
Offensively, senior Caroline Netti has led the way for the Griffs. Her 20 goals lead the team, scoring in seven of eight games this season. Graduate student Paige Stachura has also found the back of the net in seven of eight games. Stachura’s scoring has come in bunches this season, posting four games with three or more goals.
While Canisius has yet to play any nationally ranked teams, the teams the Griffs have faced — excluding Detroit Mercy — were picked to finish top five in their conference. Central Michigan is the defending Mid-American Conference champion, and Robert Morris played in a conference championship game just two years ago.
Regardless, the team has an impressive seven wins before even playing a MAAC opponent. The first conference opponent the Griffs will see in 2024 is Quinnipiac, who is 1–5 to start the year. From there, they will face eight more MAAC opponents before postseason play.
Photo courtesy of Lindy Feider