PITTSBURGH -- It's game week for the Duquesne University lacrosse team. The Dukes are set to open their 2024 season on Friday afternoon against crosstown rival Pitt at Highmark Stadium.
"Just excited," said head coach Corinne Desrosiers, who enters her sixth season at Duquesne. "It's not a long preseason, so we are kind of fast and furious right now with our practice pace, but I think we really need to get out there and start playing in order to kind of figure out this new dynamic for the team this year."
Duquesne will look to bounce back from a 2-14 (1-8 A-10) campaign a year ago with a healthy mixture of talented returners and a strong group of newcomers.
The Dukes bring back five of the six players that started all 16 games last year, including Second Team All-Atlantic 10 selection Mackenzie Leszczynski, A-10 All-Rookie honoree Chelsea Evans, sophomore attacker Chloe Holmes, senior Emelie Curtis, and graduate student Jillian Caroselli.
"(Mackenzie) will be another heavy gunner for us on offense this year," said Desrosiers. Leszczynski, who enters her junior season on the Bluff, netted 45 goals, scoring in all 16 games, and dished out 15 assists last season, while ranking top-10 in the league in nine different stat categories. Her 2.81 goals per game average was fourth in the A-10 and ranked second in free position percentage converting at a 60.9% rate. The Flourtown, Pa. native also totaled 72 draw controls, which was the third-most in a season in Duquesne history. Leszczynski has recorded 67 goals and 86 points in two seasons as a Duke.
Evans scored 31 times - the second-most of any A-10 rookie - and had seven assists in her freshman campaign. The Marlton, N.J. product led the A-10 in free position percentage (63.2% / 12-for-19). In addition to her All-Rookie selection, Evans was tabbed A-10 Rookie of the Week in late February. Evans is still rehabbing an injury and is expected to return to the lineup in March. "Chelsea had the best statistics for any rookie in the entire conference last year ... We are looking forward to having her back with us in March hopefully ... She is just an outstanding player and our midfield lacks without her in it," said Desrosiers.
Holmes is also coming off a strong first season in the Red and Blue. An attacker out of Rockford, Mich., Holmes netted 17 goals as a first year and led the Dukes with a 66.7% shot percentage and 93.8% shot on goal percentage, while recording a shot in all but three games.
Caroselli, a midfielder hailing from West Islip, N.Y., returns for her fifth season. She has 47 career goals with 16 and 17 in each of the last two seasons. Curtis added six scores a year ago, as DU brings back seven of its 10 players who recorded goals last season.
On the defensive end, Hanna Pawela returns for her junior season after being named to the A-10 All-Academic Team in 2023. Pawela finished the season fifth in the NCAA and leading the A-10 in caused turnovers per game (2.44), while ranking third in the league in ground balls per game (2.62). Her 39 caused turnovers were the ninth-most ever in a season by a Duke.
Pawela, Curtis, and redshirt sophomore Corinne Webb will serve as the team captains in 2024, as announced in late November.
Sophomore Casey McBride also returns on defense after forcing 20 turnovers and scooping 19 ground balls as a freshman last season.
"While our defense is young, it is very athletic," noted Desrosiers. "We are able to play around with three or four different defensive sets right now and try to really see what's going to be the one that sticks as we go through this season."
Sophomore Megan LaBorne and redshirt junior Rachel O'Toole are set to battle for time in the cage after the graduation of Mady Piersielak, who started 14 of the 16 games last year. LaBorne and O'Toole each made a start last season. LaBorne appeared in eight games and made 36 saves for a .346 save percentage, while O'Toole saw action twice with eight saves and a .333 save percentage.
"The returners that we have back were all a core of our team last year, so that is providing us with a lot of experience and a lot of calm when it gets a little chaotic," said Coach Desrosiers.
As for the newcomers, Duquesne welcomes eight freshman and six transfers to the roster this season. "There is new energy and they have fit in really, really nicely," said Desrosiers.
The transfer class includes one graduate, a senior, two juniors, a sophomore and a freshman. Lindsay Newton arrives on the Bluff as a grad transfer after spending four seasons at Rutgers. Tristen Chang is a senior transfer from Youngstown State. Juniors Emily King and Haley Reeck join the squad by way of Towson and Rutgers, respectively. Sophomore Emma Raines spent her first collegiate season at Saint Joseph's. Freshman Gracin Emerson comes to Duquesne after attending Temple last year.
"We had a numbers problem last year. We kept a lot of games close and then at the end we would lose them because we just didn't have the legs. We don't have that problem this year," said Coach Desrosiers. "Now it's just going to be the cohesion and the flow. We do have a lot of good individual talent, now the key for the coaching staff is to find those lineups that are going to flow the best."
After the season opener at Pitt on Friday, Duquesne will play four straight home games beginning with at battle against Eastern Michigan on February 15 at 7 pm. The Dukes will celebrate Senior Day at Rooney Field on Saturday, February 24 at noon against Detroit Mercy. Atlantic 10 play kicks off on March 9 at home against Richmond.
Duquesne will also host the Atlantic 10 Championship tournament at Rooney Field from May 2-5. The Dukes will look to return to the tournament field after a year hiatus and for the third time under Desrosiers.
SEASON PREVIEW INTERVIEW WITH COACH DESROSIERS
FOLLOW THE DUKES
Follow Duquesne Lacrosse all season online at GoDuquesne.com, as well as on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook (@DuqLax). Links to live streams and live statistics for each game will be available on the schedule page.
