Tufts Women’s Lacrosse freshman Margie Carden (Villa Maria Academy) was named New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Women’s Lacrosse Player of the Week today after scoring eight goals with two assists in a 2-0 week for the Jumbos.
Margie Carden
In an 11-10 NESCAC victory at Bowdoin on April 27, Carden netted four goals as Tufts finished 7-3 in the league to receive the #3 seed. She also contributed a caused turnover and scooped up three ground balls. The Newtown Square native added four goals in Saturday’s 14-8 NESCAC quarterfinal victory over Trinity with two assists. She has now scored four or more goals in each of the last six games for the Jumbos.
Carden has started all 16 games for Tufts in her first season and leads the team in goals (46) and points (55) while ranking second on the team with nine assists. Her 46 goals are good for sixth in the NESCAC and her 3.44 average points per game ties her for 11th in the conference.
Carden currently has 11 multi-goal games, as well as six games with five or more points for the Jumbos this season as they look to continue their postseason run at the NESCAC Semifinals versus Colby on Saturday.
Stevenson freshman Scaliti (Perkiomen Valley) is school’s Rookie of the Year
Jack Scaliti (Perkiomen Valley) of men’s lacrosse earned the Male Rookie of the Year honor. Scaliti has 17 goals and 13 assists through the conclusion of the regular season for the Mustangs.
Stevenson (12-5, 7-1) finished the regular season as the two seed in the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Commonwealth Tournament. The Mustangs host Eastern on Thursday for a 7:00 p.m. Semifinal clash at Mustang Stadium.
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 5/8/22 From Press Release
Freshman sensation Margie Carden (Villa Maria Academy) scored five goals – over half for her team – and led the Tufts University women’s lacrosse team to a stunning 9-8 victory over host and top-seeded Middlebury College today in the NESCAC Championship.
Margie Carden …5 goals
The Jumbos (15-3) ended the Panthers’ 42-game winning streak dating back to March 2019. Middlebury (17-1), who did not play last season due to COVID-19, had defeated Tufts 14-7 during the regular-season on April 2.
Tufts, which won the NESCAC title for the second year in a row, earns the league’s automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. Middlebury, ranked #1 in last week’s IWLCA national poll, will get an at-large NCAA berth.
The Jumbos were tremendous defensively this afternoon, holding Middlebury under 10 goals for the first time since the 2019 season as well. Senior goalie Molly Laliberty made nine saves and classmate Madison Lehan came up with three caused turnovers and two ground balls.
Leading 9-8 late in the game, Tufts played the final 1:23 down a player due to a yellow card. Middlebury’s Hope Shue would earn two free-position opportunities in the final minute, including one with eight seconds left, but both were blocked out of her stick by the Jumbo defense.
Carden continued her stand-out freshman season (51 goals) for Tufts by giving the Jumbos a 5-4 lead late in the third period, a goal early in the fourth to make it 7-5 and scoring a key insurance goal to make it 9-7 with 3:19 to play.
Tufts won draw controls 13-8, led as always by Anna Clarke with five and Genna Gibbons adding four.
Today’s game was tied 5-5 heading into the fourth quarter. Tufts took control of the game with three goals in the first four minutes of the fourth – Clarke, Carden and Caroline Walter – to lead 8-5. As expected, Middlebury had an answer with goals by Shue and Erin Nicholas closing the gap to 8-7 with 9:22 on the fourth-quarter clock. Laliberty had two of her three fourth-quarter saves at that point, and then a ground ball by Gibbons led to a Tufts clear and a goal by Carden assisted by Walter for a 9-7 Jumbo advantage at 3:19. Middlebury’s Grace Getman brought the margin back down to one goal (9-8) quickly. The Panthers would get a pair of great chances to tie it, but the Tufts defense stood tall.
The Jumbos had taken a 3-0 lead early as Carden scored twice in the first eight minutes of action. Middlebury had the only two goals of the second quarter – by Getman and Niki Mormile – to tie the score at 3-3 at the half. The teams traded two goals apiece in the third.
Panther goalie Gina Driscoll made six saves while Erica Barr caused four turnovers and picked up three ground balls. Mormile, Shue and Getman all scored twice.
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 5/28/22 From Press Release
Senior goalie Molly Lalibert made 16 saves and freshman Margie Carden (Villa Maria Academy) scored seven times in seven shots and broke the school record for single-season goals as the Tufts University women’s lacrosse team earned a spot in the NCAA Championship Game with an 18-7 win over The College of New Jersey on Saturday at D. J. Kerr Stadium in Salem, Va.
Margie Carden … 7 goals, breaks school record
Head coach Courtney Shute’s Jumbos (19-3) will play conference rival Middlebury College in the national championship game on Sunday at 3:30 pm. The Panthers (21-1) won 18-5 over Gettysburg in Saturday’s other semifinal at Kerr Stadium on the campus of Roanoke College.
Tufts started off slow today with the TCNJ scoring first and forcing turnovers defensively. The Lions won the draw control, kept possession and got a goal from Jennifer LaRocca at 13:15 for a 1-0 lead. However, once the Jumbos scored their first at 5:13 of the opening quarter – Carden from Mae Briody – the tide turned quickly.
Backed by Laliberty, who would save 11 of the 13 shots she saw in the first half, the Jumbos would streak to a 10-2 halftime lead. Carden scored three times in the first, but TCNJ was within 4-2 when LaRocca scored off free position with 21 seconds left in the period. However, the Jumbos outscored the Lions 6-0 in the second quarter with three more from Carden and one each from Caroline Walter, Caroline Conaghan and Madeline Delaney.
Carden, a second-team All-American, has 68 goals. The old Tufts mark for single-season goals was 62 set in 2019 by Emily Games (Radnor).
Also for Tufts, defender Becca Gable (Abington) had two caused turnovers.
For TCNJ, Ally Tobler (Washington Township) had two goals and Anna Devlin (Ocean City) scored once while Jillian Westerby (Cherokee) had four groundballs, two caused turnovers and a draw control, and Wayden Ay (Haddonfield) added a draw control, a caused turnover and a groundball.
The Jumbos continued to roll into the second half, scoring five in a row to open the third period for a 15-2 advantage and running time. Four different Jumbos had the goals, with two by Ella Lesperance.
The Lions would score four in a row from late in the third until halfway into the second, started by Anna Devlin’s free-position goal with 10 seconds left in the third quarter. Ally Tobler then had back-to-back strikes helping TCNJ make the score 15-6. The Jumbos scored three of the final four goals, including Lesperance’s third of the game, for the 18-7 ending.
Laliberty finished with a .695 save percentage, stopping 16 of the Lions’ 23 shots on goal. Her four ground balls also led Tufts. Becca Gable caused two turnovers defensively and Kathryn Delaney won four draw controls. Emma Joyce and Anna Clarke both scored twice for Tufts.
LaRocca scord four times with two assists for TCNJ. Jillian Westerby collected four ground balls, Sabrina Phillips took eight draws while also causing two turnovers. Julia Charest stopped nine shots in goal.
The stats were closer than the score, with shots going 35-33 for Tufts and ground balls favoring TCNJ 17-15. The Lions had one more draw control (14-13). The Jumbos were 5 for 10 on free-position chances.
This will be the third meeting of Tufts and Middlebury this season. The Panthers won the regular-season game 14-8, but Tufts won the NESCAC Championship Game 9-8 over the Panthers in Vermont.
Mount Saint Joseph’s Academy League: Catholic Academies Head coach: Becky Cartee-Haring 2nd year as Head Coach at The Mount, 5th year as a head coach, Assistants: Mary Dean and Archie Alston Last year’s overall record, league record and postseason accomplishments:
2022 Season: Regular season Record 12-5,Overall Record 16-7, Playoff Record: 4-2, Catholic Academy Co-Champs 9-1,
3rd Place Districts 2A, Lost in 2nd Round of States 2A Notable players lost from last year: Lauren Maher (Manhattan College), Campbell Donovan, Sarah Hughes Key returning players: Senior Kate Donovan (GW Commit), Senior Devin Loome, Senior Kiersten Pumilia, Senior Ava Rossi, Senior Annie Shields (USC Commit), Junior Amelia Clair, Junior Maggie Rezza (PSU Commit) Players to watch: Junior Quinn Shields (Scranton Commit), Sophomore Meghan Holmes and Sophomore Katie Westmoreland Season outlook: “The team this year returns a talented and gritty core group from last year’s team and welcomes some new talent to The Mount. The girls are committed to working together and building on the knowledge and experience of last year under a new coach. Preseason has been a smooth continuation of what we began last year and the team has shown great energy. We have high expectations and are looking to accomplish even more this season.”
Villa Maria Academy League: Catholic Academies League Head Coach: Theresa Giunta, 2; Danielle Mooney , Kelsi Trevisan (assistants) 2022 Record: 11-9 2022 Team Honors: 2022 AACA Co-Champs, PIAA District Qualifier Opener Date: 3/21/23 vs. Nazareth Academy Key Returners: Senior Attacker Maggie Traynor, Senior Midfielder Kaelyn Wolfe, Senior Midfielder Brynna Hill, Junior Midfielder Allie Meyer, Senior Defender Kaleigh Touey, Junior Defender Mackenzie Liberatore, Sophomore Goalie Quinn Hechler Key Newcomers: Freshman Sophia Tray, Junior Alice Nash Coaches Outlook: “We are so excited to get this year started. We are returning several starters, and have gained new players this year that add extreme depth and value to our team. Our theme this year is discipline, consistency and attacking our goals with grit. We have worked hard to develop a very strong and supportive culture, where we can dominate together as a team. We are very dynamic with strong leadership, and we are excited to see what we bring to the league, district and state this year!”
Villa Joseph Marie H. S. League: AACA League Head Coach: Stephanie Magnone, 21 years at Villa, Assistants:Lisa Huchler, Isabella DeVito, Alan Dlugosz 2022 Record: 4-13 2022 Team Honors: AACA All Stars: Emma Hagan, Lauren Redican, Brooklyn Roe. PASLA Player of the Week: Brooklyn Roe PASLA All Academic: Emma Hagan, Lauren Redican, MK Peters Opener Date: March 21st vs Merion Mercy Key Returnees: Brooklyn Roe, Maddie Todd, Molly Courtney, Kendall Gayton, Kiera Martin, Grace Hopkins, Niamh Cole, Mackenzie Gorman Key newcomers: Payton England, Erin Boyd, McKenna Kush, Anicea Tassone, Rylind Pasquito, Bridget Polek, Kira Chirichella Coach’s Outlook for 2023: “We have been practicing hard to create the solid team we need to compete in an aggressive league. Our eyes and hearts are set on improving our record and making the playoffs. I look forward to coaching this talented group and watching them succeed!”
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 3/28/23 From Staff Reports
Kaelyn Wolfe scored late in the second overtime today to lift visiting Villa Maria Academy to a 6-5 victory over Mount St. Joseph today in a key Athletic Association of Catholic Academies contest.
The win kept Villa Maria perfect at 4-0, 3-0 in the league. The Mount is 3-3 and 2-1 in the league.
The second Granite Run Buick GMC Game of the Day occurred at Springfield-Delco where the Cougars also won in a dramatic overtime game, 9-8 over Garnet Valley in the Central League.
Wolfe said she saw an opening and deftly beat Mount’s standout goalie, USC signee Annie Shields (12 saves).
“Throughout the game, we were doing really well running through our motion,” said Wolfe, a senior who is signed to play soccer at Penn State. “For the game-winner, we were passing the ball around and I saw some space to cut.
“I caught it with my left and then switched and there was an open lane. The Mount goalie is amazing and I had to make sure I placed the shot.”
Sophia Tray led VMA with two goals, an assist, and five groundballs. Quinn Hechler had six saves in goal.
“This is a very big win for us, and it’s great to build momentum off of,” said Wolfe, whose team split with Mount St. Joseph last year and shared the league title with the Magic. “We are going
to reset and work on a lot of things throughout the rest of the season, and we’re excited to play them again.”
Villa Maria is off to a strong start. one of its wins was over Twin Valley, last year’s PIAA 2A runner-up.
“The key to our good start this year is our chemistry as a team and going through everything together as a team,” she said. “The key to today’s win was being gritty and taking care of what we can control.”
At Springfield, sophomore Maddie Kane tallied the game-winner, helping the Cougars move to 3-0 and 1-0 in the Central League.
Claire Lynch won the draw that led to the winning tally.
“By winning the draw we were able to get into an offensive possession and move the ball around,” said Kane, who had two goals and two assists. “My job in that moment was to cut in the middle and I was able to find a perfect opening. My teammate, Jaclyn Guille, was able to find me on a perfect pass to a quick goal.”
The Cougars (ranked No. 8 by Phillylacrosse.com) had taken an 8-4 halftime lead, but the No. 9 Jaguars (3-2, 0-1) rebounded to send it into OT.
“This win is big for us as a team,” said Kane. “It was a competitive game that allowed us to work with each other to find success. This game proves to us as a team that we can be competitive with any team that we face.
“This year our team goal is to be competitive. We want to show our toughness through our play and work together to find success in situations that may be tough. We never want to back down from a challenge.”
Villa Maria Academy 6, Mount St. Joseph 5, OT
Mount Saint Joseph 3-2-0-5
Villa Maria 3-2-1-6
Villa Maria Academy 2025 attack Lila Traynor has verbally committed to play Division I lacrosse for Drexel University.
Lila Traynor profile:
High school: Villa Maria Academy, Malvern, PA
Position: Attack
Grad year: 2025
College committed to: Drexel University
Club team: Phantastix
Why did you choose Drexel? “I love Philly and the Co-Op program is awesome. I also love the coaching staff.”
Who do you wish to thank for achieving this honor? “Thanks to my parents, coaches, and family.”
Victory Events, the official sponsor for Phillylacrosse.com girls’ recruits, congratulates Lila Traynor on her commitment to Drexel. Victory Events delivers the Total Lacrosse Experience: Elite Athletes, Elite Venues and Elite Events for both girls and boys. Join a Tournament or Showcase this season!Click here for more information and registration.
Villa Maria Academy 2025 midfielder/defender Caroline Capaldi has verbally committed to play Division I lacrosse for Lafayette College.
Caroline Capaldi profile:
High School: Villa Maria Academy, Malvern, PA
Positions: Midfield/Defense
Grad year: 2025
College committed to: Lafayette College
Club team: Philly Blast
Why did you choose Lafayette? “It has a good mix of academics and athletics, and it also has a good proximity to home.”
Who do you wish to thank for achieving this honor? “Thanks to my family, teammates, and coaches.”
Victory Events, the official sponsor for Phillylacrosse.com girls’ recruits, congratulates Caroline Capaldi on her commitment to Lafayette. Victory Events delivers the Total Lacrosse Experience: Elite Athletes, Elite Venues and Elite Events for both girls and boys. Join a Tournament or Showcase this season!Click here for more information and registration.
Villa Maria Academy 2025 attack Elle Toto has verbally committed to play Division II lacrosse for Florida Southern College.
Elle Toto profile:
High School: Villa Maria Academy, Malvern, PA, resides in West Chester, PA
Position: Attack
Grad year: 2025
College committed to: Florida Southern College
Club team: Philly Blast
Why did you choose Florida Southern? “I wanted to go south for college. They have a highly-ranked business program and they won a national championship. They are ranked in the top three for Division II and they can compete for a national championship.”
Who do you wish to thank for helping you achieve this honor? “Thanks to my coaches and my parents.”
Victory Events, the official sponsor for Phillylacrosse.com girls’ recruits, congratulates Elle Toto on her commitment to Florida Southern. Victory Events delivers the Total Lacrosse Experience: Elite Athletes, Elite Venues and Elite Events for both girls and boys. Join a Tournament or Showcase this season!Click here for more information and registration.
Tufts University junior attack Margie Carden has big goals for the 2024 season.
The Villa Maria Academy graduate is focused on helping the Jumbos return to the national championship.
Tufts junior attack Margie Carden (Villa Maria Academy) was a First-Team UIWLCA All-American in 2023
“Well, first of all, (our No. 1 goal is) to win the National Championship,” said Carden, whose Jumbos reached the 2022 National final and were ousted in the 2023 quarterfinals “I think that’s a big thing for our team, and at the end of the day, that’s just something that we’re always thinking about in the back of our minds. There are a lot of other individual and team goals that go underneath that, but I think that’s an overarching goal that encompasses everything.
“I also think another one is beating Middlebury. They’re a great, amazing team, and we have a little bit of a rivalry with them because they’re in our league and they’re so good.”
Carden has flourished at Tufts, scoring 69 goals in each of her first two seasons. Last season, she was named an IWLCA First Team All-American and NESCAC First Team All-Conference after helping the Jumbos to a 16-5 record. Carden is now 54 goals away from tying the school record of 192 goals, set by Radnor graduate Emily Games in 2021.
Carden, who helped Villa Maria Academy win the 2018 PIAA Class AA championship, was named a Preseason Inside Lacrosse First Team All-American last month. Her Jumbos open today at Connecticut College at noon.
More on our interview with Margie Carden:
Question: What convinced you to commit to Tufts? Carden: I committed before my senior year, Coach [Courtney Shute] reached out to me, and honestly it was the first school – even though it was all over Zoom – that felt really comfortable. I liked the team vibe and the combination of academics and competing for a National Championship, [Tufts] has a really good reputation of always making it pretty far in the NCAA tournament, so I think those two combined were a pretty big factor in making my decision.
Question: What are some of the keys to your success on the field? Carden: There’s a lot of different things. First of all, just knowing who you’re working with and how to work with them. Over the last couple of years, I’ve been pretty lucky to be surrounded by people who know I like to find myself in the middle. From an individual standpoint, always trying to get a little bit better, and putting in extra time. If you want to be successful in whatever you’re doing, just knowing that you’re never going to be satisfied, there’s always a different level that you can reach. I’ve been reminding myself of that, and I’m just trying to get a little bit better every single day.
Question: Now that you’re a junior, do you see yourself as one of the leaders on the team? Carden: Yeah, I think going from an underclassman to an upperclassman, your role on the team changes in those couple of years. When you’re younger, you’re learning a lot, asking a lot of questions, and you may be a little bit nervous at first when you’re trying to assert yourself, because it’s a role you have to earn. I think the biggest thing as an upperclassman is just leading by example, so knowing you set the standards in the tone for the team practices, and how we are in a locker room going into games. That’s been a big focus this year, setting standards for myself so other people will follow, and hopefully that will help us achieve our goals.
Question: Do you feel like you have any pressure on yourself this season to perform individually? Carden: Yeah, a little bit. From now compared to freshman year, you go into it, no one really knows anything about you, especially as a freshman. Last year was definitely an adjustment period, as teams start to scout you and your tendencies. You’re going to have to change your game, because any opponent that you’re playing is going to have scouted you, they’re going to send doubles early. I think that that’s something that I learned to adjust to last year, and hopefully I’m going to continue growing and getting better at it this year. So as long as I put the team and team goals in front of me, I think it alleviates the individual pressure.
Question: Who specifically has helped you reach the point that you’re at right now? Carden: Obviously my family and all of them, but I first started going to [Private Coach] Bob Mongeluzzi’s sessions in my sophomore year of high school right before COVID. I was a decent player, but he just gave me so much confidence and totally changed the way I play. I will give a lot of credit to him and the sessions that he’s run over the years. He’s definitely given me a lot of confidence and has always been a big supporter. Even during times where I’ve struggled, learning to adapt to a new type of game – college games are so much faster, the girls are stronger – he’s always been my number-one fan, he’s given me support whenever I needed it.
Question: Have you and your brother been able to help each other grow as players? Carden: Yes, we played together a lot growing up. He started out as an attacker, so we definitely spent a lot of time in the backyard together. Then, when he moved to defense, he definitely beat me up a lot. So many fights ensued because of that. Even now, though, when we’re preparing to go back into our spring seasons, we’ll usually always go work out together and shoot together, which has been nice, especially when you’re away from everyone on your team.
Question: What is your major and what inspired you to choose your major? Carden: I am studying international relations with a concentration in international security. To be completely honest, I had no idea what I wanted to do. When I first got here freshman year, I took the intro class, and I was like, ‘Wow, I really love this.’ It combines a bunch of different disciplines, like history, poly sci, and language, and I felt like I could do a lot within it. I really like my history classes, as political science classes, but it has a little bit more to offer than just poly sci.
Question: What are some of your [college] career goals? Carden: Just continuing to build on my freshman and sophomore years. At the end of the day, I hope we win. If we go far in the NCAAs, if I am still in a scoring role – which I think I should be – just finding similar success. One thing I want to focus on this year is learning how to scout and assisting a little bit more.
Question: Once you graduate, do you want to go into coaching in some capacity? Carden: Potentially. I really love the game, and I would love for it to be a part of my life for the rest of my life. I don’t know what way that would be, but I could see myself coaching at some point.
Question: What advice would you give to an aspiring college lacrosse player? Carden: There’s a lot of learning over the years. I think the biggest thing is just showing up, because you’re going to have bad days, you may have some regrets on the field, but showing up and getting out there to do extras and reminding yourself to have confidence in those moments, and to just keep hammering away at whatever it is. As soon as you get complacent with wherever you’re at, that’s where you can lose your confidence and just not really have fun with it. So I think just always trying to chip away a little bit, get a little bit better, never really fails you.
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 3/5/24 from Press Releases
Margie Carden
The Tufts University women’s lacrosse team got the 2024 season started right this past weekend, racking up two wins thanks in part to the play of junior attack Margie Carden (Villa Maria Academy), who was picked as the first New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Player of the Week in women’s lacrosse for the 2024 campaign.
Carden was featured Saturday as a Phillylacrosse “Player to Watch” for small colleges.
Carden helped the Tufts women’s lacrosse team to a quick 2-0 record to start the season, as Tufts topped Connecticut College, 17-4, before besting Washington & Lee on Sunday,18-16. For the weekend, Carden finished with seven goals and four assists for 11 points to lead Tufts. On Saturday at Conn. College, Carden scored twice and assisted on another goal and then exploded for eight points in the win of the ranked Generals, going for five goals and three assists.
The award for Carden was her second career weekly honor, as she picked up accolades on May 2, 2022. Carden, a First-Team IWLCA All-American in 2023, has 145 career goals and needs just 47 to set a school career record.
BC’s Clark (Conestoga) named ACC Offensive POW
Boston College junior attack Rachel Clark (Conestoga) was named Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s Lacrosse Offensive Player of the Week.
Clark led the Eagles with eight goals and two assists against No. 3 Northwestern and Louisville. The Devon native also added a pair of caused turnovers and a ground ball. Against Northwestern, she scored five goals with one assist for six points, tying a season high. Clark followed that up with a hat trick and four points in the bounce-back win against Virginia Tech. Clark is second in the ACC this season with 27 goals and third in points with 32.
CAA Rookie of the Week: Monmouth’s Dundas (SCHA)
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK Brendan Dundas, Monmouth Freshman | Attack | Doylestown, Pa. / Springside Chestnut Hill Academy
Dundas tallied nine points on six goals and three assists for Monmouth in a 2-0 week. The freshman netted hat tricks in victories over Wagner and Mount St. Mary’s, marking his second and third this spring. On Tuesday, Dundas recorded a season-high five points with three goals and two assists, adding three ground balls in a 12-6 win over Wagner. He followed the effort with four points on three goals and one assist in a 13-12 double-overtime victory over Mount St. Mary’s on Saturday.
