GORHAM, Maine – The University of Southern Maine Huskies' women's lacrosse team has earned the third seed in the 2025 LEC Women's Lacrosse Championship Tournament after finishing the regular season with a record of 6-2 in conference play and 12-5 overall. The team's 12 wins this season are tied for the most in program history with the 2013 team.
 
As the third seed, the Huskies will host sixth seed UMass Dartmouth on Tuesday, April 29 at 5:00 pm. The Corsairs finished the season with a 3-5 record in LEC play and went 9-8 overall. The teams previously met on April 5 in Gorham in a game the Huskies won 12-4. The Huskies scored seven goals in the first quarter of that game.
 
The Huskies have together one of the best seasons in program history thanks to impressive offensive numbers from juniors Katelyn D'Appolonia (Yarmouth, Maine) and Cierra Hill (Pembroke, N.H./Pembroke Academy) and an historic season by senior goalie Lydia Laslavic (Thomaston, Maine / Oceanside).
 
D'Appolonia, a transfer from the University of Colorado, is in her first season with the program and has made an immediate impact. She leads the team with 52 goals and 63 points despite missing five games due to injury. D'Appolonia also leads the team in draw controls with 69, is second in ground balls with 39, and ranks third in caused turnovers with 21. Hill is the team's second leading scorer with 40 goals and 58 points. A tough defender, Hill leads the team in caused turnovers with 32 and is fourth in ground balls with 36. Her 49 draw controls are second on the team. Laslavic, who had started just two games in her career entering this season, has been extremely reliable for the Huskies in goal with a .413 save percentage and a 9.87 goals against average.
 
Fifth-year senior Kiaya Gatchell (Portland, Maine/Deering), junior Maddie Kinney (Topsham, Maine/Mt. Ararat), and sophomore Eliza Pattershall (Readfield, Maine/Maranacook) and senior Anna Byers (Milford, Ct./ Joseph A. Foran) have also been consistent sources of offense for the Huskies. Gatchell is third on the team in goals with 22 and also has eight assists, including two in the Saturday's season finale that allowed her to overtake the program career record for the statistic. She is also second on the team in caused turnovers with 27 and reached 100 in her career last week. Kinney has a team-leading 21 assists and ranks fourth in the conference. Besides being a passing threat, she has shown that she can call her own number as well with 14 goals on the year.
 
Pattershall has had a breakout season and stepped up for the Huskies to earn a spot in the starting lineup. 19 for her 21 goals have come in the past four weeks and she ranks third on the team in ground balls with 38 and is fourth in caused turnovers with 20. Byers, like D'Appolonia, missed games due to an injury but has been an offensive force when on the field with 20 goals in 12 games.
 
Junior Britney Hill (Pembroke, N.H./Pembroke Academy) has been the leader of the team's defense. Hill has started every game and leads the team with 40 ground balls. She has also caused 19 turnovers. Another key defender for the Huskies is freshman Calista Kinney (Topsham, Maine/Mt. Ararat). Kinney, like Hill, has started every game and rarely left the field. She has 18 ground balls and 12 caused turnovers on the season.
 
 
 
2025 Little East Conference Women's Lacrosse Championship Tournament
Who: No. 3 Southern Maine vs. No. 6 UMass Dartmouth Corsairs
When: Tuesday, April 29 – 5:00 PM
Where: University of Southern Maine – Hannaford Field
What: Quarterfinal round.
 
No. 3 Southern Maine (12-5 overall; 6-2 Little East)
Championships: 1 (2010)
Tournament Record: 13-20 (.393), 23 appearances
Championship Appearances: 4    Finals Record: 1-3   Last Championship Appearance: 2019
 
Players to Watch:
Katelyn D'Appolonia, Jr., Midfield, 52 goals, 11 assists, 63 points, 39 ground balls, 21 caused turnovers, 69 draw controls
Cierra Hill, Jr., Midfield, 40 goals, 18 assists, 59 points, 36 ground balls, 32 caused turnovers, 49 draw controls
Kiaya Gatchell, Fifth Year, Midfield, 22 goals, eight assists, 30 points, 35 ground balls, 27 caused turnovers, 16 draw controls
Eliza Pattershall, So., Midfield, 21 goals, four assists, 25 points, 38 ground balls, 20 caused turnovers, 27 draw controls
Anna Byers, Sr., Attack, 20 goals, two assists, 22 points, 12 ground balls, 30 draw controls
Maddie Kinney, Jr., Attack, 14 goals, 21 assists, 35 points, 23 ground balls, 11 caused turnovers
Lydia Laslavic, Sr., Goalie, 12-5 record, 107 saves, .413 save percentage, 9.87 goals against average