Rockville Centre, N.Y. - The women's lacrosse team kicked off the 2026 campaign this afternoon against Wilmington University, falling 15-6 from the RVC Sports Complex.

How it Happened

• The Lions started strong with sophomore Ava Benasutti scoring nearly off the opening draw to put Molloy on the board 48 seconds into the game.
• The lead would double just over 90 seconds later as freshman Jenna Italiano scored her first collegiate goal off an assist from freshman Sam Cossaro.
• The Wildcats responded by netting four goals to close the quarter.
• Wilmington struck first on an early free position from Tristan Holdsworth in the second frame, but a free position goal from junior Brooke Grossjung stopped the streak to briefly bring Molloy back within two, 5-3.
• The visitors would score the next nine goals spanning nearly a full quarter of game time to lead 14-3 with 7:38 left in the third quarter.
• Sophomore Emma Ryan scored to end the third frame with Molloy trailing by 10.
• Sophomore Cameron Thompson picked up a ground ball and tossed it to Ryan for a second-straight goal to start the scoring in the fourth quarter. 
• Thompson added a goal of her own to round out Molloy's scoring late in the quarter.

Top Performances

• Thompson (one goal, one assist) and Ryan (two goals) each led with two points. 
• Italiano, Grossjung, and Benasutti were the remaining goal scorers for the Lions with Cossaro picking up an assist.
• The pair of Thompson and Cossaro led with three ground balls. Junior Samantha Heuer picked up two. 
• Sophomore Tiana Barone led with two caused turnovers while sophomore Ryleigh Zamora had four draw controls.
• In net, Heuer and junior Nicole Schaumloffel each made three saves.

Up Next
Molloy is currently scheduled to play on Wednesday (Feb. 25) at home against Pace University. With the expected snow storm, be sure to continue to check www.molloylions.com for the latest regarding scheduling.