GORHAM, Maine – The University of Southern Maine Huskies' women's lacrosse team has earned the No. 2 seed in the 2026 LEC Women's Lacrosse Championship Tournament. As the second seed, the Huskies will host a semifinal game on Thursday evening at 6:00 pm against No. 3 seed Eastern Connecticut State University at Hannaford Field. The Huskies went 7-1 in conference play and 13-4 overall. The team's 13 wins are tied with last season's team for most in program history.
 
The high-scoring Huskies' offense ranks second in the conference in goals per game with 12.35 thanks to another outstanding season from graduate student midfielder Katelyn D'Appolonia (Yarmouth, Maine). D'Appolonia leads the Huskies in goals with 53, assists with 32, points with 85, draw controls with 91 and ground balls with 52. Her 32 assists are the most in a season in program history and the most in the conference. Senior midfielder Cierra Hill (Pembroke, N.H./Pembroke Academy) is also a key contributor on both offense and defense with 34 goals, 28 assists, 56 points, 34 caused turnovers, 36 draw controls and 32 ground balls.
 
Junior Eliza Pattershall (Readfield, Maine/Maranacook), freshman Mariam DeLisle (Whitefield, Maine/Lincoln Academy) and graduate student Anna Byers (Milford, Ct./Joseph A. Foran) have also recorded 40 or more points for the Huskies this season. Pattershall has 46 points on 32 goals and 14 assists in addition to leading the team in caused turnovers with 39. DeLisle is having a breakout rookie season with 30 goals, 13 assists, 43 points, 32 ground balls and 28 caused turnovers. Byers, who surpassed 100 career points in the Huskies' last game of the regular season, had 40 points on 33 goals and seven assists.
 
Senior Britney Hill (Pembroke, N.H./Pembroke Academy) is the leader of the Southern Maine defense and ranks third on the team in ground balls with 44 and fourth in caused turnovers with 28. Sophomore Calista Kinney (Topsham, Maine/Mt. Ararat) and Ella Scaggs (West Chesterfield, N.H./Keene) have also been key defenders for Southern Maine. Kinney has recorded 21 caused turnovers and 16 ground balls, while Scaggs has 16 ground balls and eight caused turnovers. All three players have started in every game this season.
 
Junior Maggie Jones (St. John's, Newfoundland/Mount Academy) has stepped up for the Huskies in goal in her first season with the program. The LEC Goaltender of the Year for the Southern Maine women's ice hockey team, Jones joined the lacrosse team early in the season and has an 8-1 record since taking over after freshman Emma Morrison (Rockland, Maine/Kents Hill) went down with an injury. Morrison had a great start to the season with a 5-3 record of her own.
 
The Huskies will face an Eastern Connecticut State team that they beat 14-5 earlier this season on the road. The game was Jones' first start with the Huskies and she made five saves for her first win as a Husky. Pattershall led the Huskies with five goals in the game, while C. Hill had two goals and three assists. Alexa Vizzini and Emma Oliano led the Warriors with two points apiece with each recording a goal and an assist. Vizzini is the leading scorer for the Warriors with 57 goals on the season and ranks third in the conference.
 
2026 Little East Conference Women's Lacrosse Championship Tournament
Who: No. 2 Southern Maine vs. No. 3 Eastern Connecticut State
When: Thursday, April 30 – 6:00 PM
Where: University of Southern Maine – Hannaford Field
What: Semifinal round.
 
No. 2 Southern Maine (13-4 overall; 7-1 Little East)
Championships: 1 (2010)
Championship Appearances: 4    Finals Record: 1-3   Last Championship Appearance: 2019
 
Players to Watch:
Katelyn D'Appolonia, Gr., Midfield, 53 goals, 32 assists, 85 points, 52 ground balls, 32 caused turnovers, 91 draw controls
Cierra Hill, Sr., Midfield, 34 goals, 28 assists, 62 points, 32 ground balls, 34 caused turnovers, 36 draw controls
Eliza Pattershall, Jr., Midfield, 32 goals, 14 assists, 46 points, 50 ground balls, 39 caused turnovers, 10 draw controls
Anna Byers, Gr., Attack, 33 goals, seven assists, 40 points, 25 ground balls, 35 draw controls
Britney Hill, Defense, 44 ground balls, 28 caused turnovers
Maggie Jones, Jr., Goalie, 8-1 record, 107 saves, .486 save percentage, 6.47 goals against average
 
No. 3 Eastern Connecticut State (9-7 overall; 6-2 Little East)
Championships: 4 (2005, 2007, 2008, 2013)
Championship Appearances: 8    Finals Record: 4-4   Last Championship Appearance: 2018
 
Players to Watch:
Alexa Vizzini, Sr., Attack, 57 goals, 21 assists, 74 points, 35 ground balls, 25 caused turnovers, 71 draw controls
Hannah Seltzer, So., Attack, 27 goals, 8 assists, 35 points, 28 ground balls, 24 caused turnovers
Molly Page, Fr., Attack, 23 goals, 9 assists, 32 points, 10 ground balls, 10 draw controls
Grace Saldaña, Jr., Defense, 42 ground balls, 27 caused turnovers
Maizie Rukat, So., Goalie, 4-5 record, 107 saves, .422 save percentage, 11.68 goals against average