Union – On Saturday, April 5, Kean University women’s lacrosse hosted Stockton University to open conference play. The game was one in a series of Kean games over the weekend dedicated to Associate Director of Athletics Jay Sgaramella’s son, Connor Sgamarella, who is on the autism spectrum. “Connor’s Game” is an annual Kean Athletics event that dedicates a series of games to autism awareness.
Stockton (10-2, 1-0 NJAC) was able to tally its first conference win against Kean (2-7, 0-1 NJAC) with a 15-5 victory.
Despite falling behind 2-0 within the first 10 minutes of the game, the Cougars were able to even the game with a pair of rebound goals from freshman attack Emily Javick and sophomore midfielder Skyler Ray. However, the Ospreys would pull away with three more goals to end the first quarter 5-2.
Stockton began to take control in the second quarter with goals from junior Julia Gibson, sophomore Madison MacGillivray, and senior Isabella Marinello, building a solid 8-3 advantage by halftime. The Ospreys also dominated the second half, outscoring the hosts 7-2 to secure a decisive 15-5 road victory.
Gibson delivered a standout performance, recording four goals and three assists for a game-high seven points. Marinello contributed three goals and one assist, while senior Ashley Pringle added a goal and two assists. Junior Shyanne Nucifora chipped in with two assists.
On the defensive end, senior Lilly Alessandro led the team with six draw controls. MacGillivray and senior Margot Costello each forced three turnovers, with Costello also collecting a team-best four ground balls. In goal, sophomore Jordan Czaczkowski recorded three saves for the Ospreys.
For the Cougars, Ray and sophomore Emilie Schultz tallied a pair of goals each. Sophomore Drew Coyle had a game-high five caused turnovers, three draw controls, and three ground balls. Freshman goaltender Brooke Sztenderowicz made 10 saves in net and led all players with six ground balls.
With Saturday’s win, Stockton extends their win streak to four consecutive games and maintains a perfect 5-0 in away matches. With the team’s strong group of returners, the Ospreys look to continue their routine strong regular season showings and entry into the NJAC tournament.
The Ospreys will have an entire week off from competition before facing Rowan University at home on April 12.
Kean, however, despite having standout talent, is feeling the loss of the strength of its graduated players, like 2024 graduate Kylie Giordano. Last year, Giordano led the team with 73 goals. Giordano and fellow graduate Amanda Brzoska both reached 100 career points in their final year with Kean. Giordano garnered several accolades, including All-ECAC Team, IWLCA Broadwalk Region Second Team, All-NJAC First Team, and was a three-time NJAC Offensive Player of the Week.
The loss of this offensive threat and other graduates has sent the team into a rebuilding period, as the team struggles to score goals against opponents. With a 2-7 record with five games remaining in the season, four of which being conference matches, the Cougars will have to fight to see postseason action.
This Wednesday, the Cougars will take on nationally 11th-ranked The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) away at TCNJ.
