Women’s Lacrosse Set to Take Field in Inaugural Game Saturday at Dean

SUFFOLK at DEAN
Date Time Venue Stats Series	Saturday, Feb. 22 12:00 PM Grant Field Franklin, Mass. DeanBulldogs.com First Meeting

BOSTON – Suffolk University history will be made Saturday, Feb. 22 as the women's lacrosse team heads out for its first-ever game when it takes the field at Dean for a 12:00 p.m. draw. 

SOCIALIZE
Ram Nation has a chance to keep up with all the latest news and notes on Suffolk Athletics, its student-athletes and teams by following the Rams on  Facebook, Instagram and X. Fans are encouraged to use the hashtag #RamNation a behind-the-scene look at Suffolk Athletics.

WITNESSING HISTORY

• Saturday marks the first-ever NCAA Division III women's lacrosse game in Suffolk's University's history. 
• An addition almost two years in the making, it was announced on June 5, 2023 that Suffolk was adding the sport. 
• Women's lacrosse came the 20th varsity team and 11th women's team at Suffolk University. It is the first varsity program added since the half dozen of women's golf, women's hockey and men's and women's indoor and outdoor track & field joined Ram Nation in 2015-16. 
• On June 6, 2023 Carolynn Keal was named the first head coach in program history.  

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

• Seven days after the season opener, Ram Nation will get a chance to cheer on the Rams on their home turf, East Boston Memorial Park's James A. Sartori Stadium, for the first time in program history Saturday, March 1 when Suffolk welcomes Purchase for a 12:00 p.m. contest. 
• The first-ever Suffolk women's lacrosse Conference of New England game is Wednesday, March 26 versus Curry under the lights in Eastie at 7:00 p.m. 

MEET THE RAMS
With a full year of recruiting under her belt, head coach Carolynn Keal has brought in 16 fresh faces to comprise the inaugural Suffolk women's lacrosse team in 2025. With three days remaining before the first official draw Ram Nation has a chance to get a closer look at the Rams roster. 

MORE INFO: Women's Lacrosse Inaugural Season: Meet the Rams

POSITION PLAUDITS
The 16 Rams are broken down into a half dozen midfielders (6), five attack, four defenders and one goalie.

CLASS RANKS
Suffolk's first squad represents three classes with the bulk of the players (11) hailing from the freshmen class with a trio of sophomores and a pair of juniors rounding out the roster. 

GEOGRAPHY 101
Suffolk's squad is Northeast heavy. Six Rams hail from the Bay State, three are Connecticut locals and two come from both New Hampshire and Rhode Island. New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont are all represented by one student-athlete apiece. 

TRANSITIONING TRANSFERS
There is one student-athlete rostered that has collegiate competition experience in sophomore Jessie Le, who began her NCAA playing days at Wheaton last year. 

RAMS RINGLEADERS
Suffolk women's lacrosse is one step closer to debuting as head coach Carolynn Keal has unveiled that freshmen Gracelyn Laperle and Lauren Woods will share the leadership responsibility as co-captains of the inaugural squad in 2025.  

MORE READING: Pair to Captain Inaugural Women's Lacrosse Team

ON THE SIDELINES
Carolynn Keal became the first-ever head coach of Suffolk women's lacrosse in June 2023 after spending two seasons in the Pacific Northwest at Willamette as an assistant coach in 2022 and an associate head coach a year later. 

For her first season, Keal brought on Olivia Delonais and Sammi Hogan to serve as Suffolk's assistant coaches.  

PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
Days away from its first-ever contest, the Suffolk women's lacrosse team has been selected to finish ninth in the Conference of New England, according to a vote by the league's 10 head coaches, released Wednesday afternoon.  

MORE READING: Women's Lacrosse Picked Ninth in CNE Preseason Poll

BULLDOGS BREAKDOWN
Dean is coming off a 3-12 season, its first under head coach Justin Dionne.  

Dionne brought back four crucial seniors to the squad, as well as co-captains Natalie Peterson (44g, 10a) and Nina Medeiros (18g, 10a) and junior goalkeeper Allie Stockwell (14.29 GAA, .372 save %), who joins Peterson and Medeiros as a captain, after a strong 2024 campaign. 

SUFFOLK'S SCHEDULE
The Rams ready for their first home contest, a Saturday, March 1 showdown with Purchase at 12:00 p.m.