Women's Lacrosse | 2/21/2025 3:48:00 PM
AMHERST, N.Y. -- The Daemen University women's lacrosse team opens up the 2025 slate on Sunday on the road at Lock Haven. Before the start of the team's third season, Daemen junior captains
Ella Bouley (Auburn, N.Y.) and
Maddy Carpenter (Hilton, N.Y.) spoke about the team, what the Wildcats have learned over the past two years, new head coach
Emily Bitka and expectations for the season ahead.
"I think this team has a lot of opportunities, both ends of the field, offense, defense, midfield, we have people who are all-around and can handle the ball and shoot the ball and defend the ball and I think that's the most important part. We just have to piece it together, and I'm excited to play with my teammates," Bouley said.
"I just think the companionship we have with each other, the way we mesh. I think all the new additions we got with transfers and freshmen, we all work together on all ends of the field, and I think it's going to become something really good," Carpenter said.
Coming into their third season, the Wildcats have a new head coach in
Emily Bitka, who arrived in Amherst after a stint as the assistant coach at Seton Hill University. In her lone season with the Griffins, Bitka helped Seton Hill compile a 13-6 overall record, qualify for the 2024 NCAA Women's Lacrosse Tournament and secure the PSAC West Title. She also helped mentor Makayla Kintner and Skylar Orlowski who were named Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) All Americans with Kinter landing on the second team and Orlowski getting tabbed to the third team.
"I think Coach Bitka has been a great addition to our team, overall she's brought in some great new aspects. We have a lot more fun at practice, we've all bonded together and bonded with her really well. I think she's just brought out the best in everyone on the team overall," Carpenter said.
"Coach Bitka came in and just adjusted to us, which I think is probably the most difficult thing for a coach to do, but I think she's done a flawless job and she's been motivating and encouraging and just jived with the Wildcat Way so it's pretty cool," Bouley said.
In the past two seasons, the Wildcats have gone 12-21, facing off against tough competition in their first two years. With 15 games on the 2025 schedule, the Cats are looking to improve upon the past two years but also look back and appreciate all that they've done to get to this point.
"Probably that losing is okay, I think being someone who wants to win all the time, that's not always going to happen, and I learned that through losses and mistakes, you only get better. Bringing that into this year and understanding and showing my teammates that it's okay to mess up and you learn from it," Bouley said.
"I think we've grown a lot over the last few seasons. In the beginning, it was a little bit rough, there was a lot of losses. I think getting in new people and learning how to play with each other really helps with, just like Ella said, learning how to lose. At the end of the day, no one wants to lose but learning how to grow after you lose," Carpenter said.
In Coach Bitka's first season at the helm, the Wildcats have high hopes to put together a successful junior campaign and continue to grow together both on and off the field. The Wildcats return 14 players to their roster from last season including two of their top three scorers from 2024 with junior
Avery Castner (Penn Yan, N.Y.) and Bouley back in the lineup. For Bouley, she led the 'Cats offense in both goals (32), total points (45) and draw controls (48) while Castner ranked second on the squad in points with 32. Also back this season for the Blue and White is sophomore
Shannen Calandra (Rome, N.Y.) who ranked ninth in the ECC last season for assist per game at .88. On the defensive side of the ball, junior
Jenna Havert is back after she led Daemen in ground balls with 33.
"Overall, just playing together and playing to our best potential. With a new coach and new people on the team, I think just growing and playing for each other and with each other," Carpenter said.
"I would say hopefully be over .500 for our season wins, I think we have 17 or 18 games lined up. I think just all communicating and being effective on and off the field, hyping each other up, that's the most important thing in my eyes," Bouley said.
Daemen University features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 17 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.
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