Gwynedd Valley, Pa. – (6/8/2022) – Gwynedd Mercy University's 2022 season opened with early success as a 3-1 February and a 3-1 start to March landed the Griffins a 6-2 record through their first eight contests. They completed their non-conference schedule with a 7-5 record and battled for a 1-4 conference mark that earned them the #6 seed in the 2022 Atlantic East Conference (AEC) Women's Lacrosse Championship Tournament. The Griffins closed the season with an 8-10 (1-4 AEC) record following a 15-11 AEC Quarterfinal loss at #3 Neumann University (Apr. 30). All-conference accolades were earned by senior defender Seydel Acuna (Philadelphia, Pa.) (1^st Team), senior midfielder Laura Pelczar (Philadelphia, Pa.) (1^st Team), junior goalkeeper Reilly Owens (Pottstown, Pa.) (2^nd Team), and sophomore attack Kristin Varilla (Lansdale, Pa.) (2^nd Team).
 
Pelczar captained Gwynedd Mercy University's early-season success, earning the AEC Offensive Player (Feb. 21) and Defensive Player of the Week (Feb. 28) titles on the league's first two reports of the year. Gwynedd Mercy University (1-1) opened their 2022 season on Wednesday, February 16, with triumphant flare as they departed King's College (PA) (0-1) with a 15-4 victory over the Monarchs. Varilla and Pelczar headlined the Griffins' offensive outburst with six points apiece; the former finished with six goals and a caused turnover, while the latter totaled six points (3 goals, 3 assists), three ground balls, five draw controls, and a team-high five caused turnovers. Three days later (Feb. 19), a 3-3 contest with 3:16 remaining in the first quarter eventually ended in the opponents' favor as Alvernia University (1-0) closed the frame with a 4-0 run; 7-3, and went on to defeat Gwynedd Mercy University by a 17-10 final. Pelczar paired her two goals with an assist, two ground balls, two draw controls, and a caused turnover to complete her claim for the AEC Offensive Player of the Week award. Her performance in the next two contests helped the Griffins to wins over Delaware Valley University (W, 19-5 on Feb. 23) and Keystone College (W, 19-6 on Feb. 26), while garnering her the league's weekly defensive honor with 10 points (7 goals, 3 assists), 11 ground balls, eight draw controls, and six caused turnovers.
 
The Griffins picked up a fourth win before taking a spring trip to Sewanee; the University of the South. The victory came by a 21-7 measure versus Wilkes University (Mar. 2) and included several strong performances from the Gwynedd Mercy University lineup. Junior midfielder Damali Teagle (Philadelphia, Pa.) topped the box score with seven points (5 goals, 2 assists), six draw controls, and a ground ball, but several other Griffins got involved as Varilla (Lansdale, Pa.) (4 goals, 1 assist), senior attack Meleah Hoats (Conyngham, Pa.) (3 goals, 2 assists), and freshman attack Hailey Bloom (Margate City, N.J.) (2 goals, 3 assists) recorded five points apiece.
 
Gwynedd Mercy University went 1-1 on their spring trip, dropping a 21-10 final to the hosting Tigers (Mar. 6) and returning home after a 25-14 triumph over Saint Mary's College (IN) (Mar. 9). Varilla was the star of the win over the Belles, offering career and season-highs in points (11), goals (7), and assists (4), while recording four ground balls and a caused turnover.
 
A week later (Mar. 16), the Griffins earned their sixth win with a 21-7 victory over Rutgers University - Camden (2-3). Hoats put Gwynedd Mercy University on the right path with the first three goals (14:09, 13:44, 12:57 1QTR) of the affair. She finished the contest with six points (5 goals, 1 assist), six ground balls, and two caused turnovers. The week ended with an unfortunate 18-9 loss to Hood College (Mar. 19), but it was not without reward as Reilly was named the AEC Defensive Player of the Week (Mar. 21). The Griffin goalkeeper totaled 23 saves, nine ground balls, and four caused turnovers in a 1-1 week between the pipes.
 
Gwynedd Mercy University completed their non-conference schedule with consecutive Wednesday games at Arcadia University (L, 7-14 on Mar. 23), versus Ursinus College (L, 7-21 on Mar. 30), and at Goucher College (W, 13-10 on Apr. 6). The Griffins dropped the first two contests before a second-half rally resulted in a 13-10 comeback against Goucher College (2-10). Pelczar (10:19, 1:31 4QTR) and Varilla (2:57, 4QTR) led the effort and traded off on the last the goals of the game; the former added an assist, two ground balls, a draw control, and three caused turnovers to her five goals, while the latter totaled six goals, two ground balls, and two caused turnovers.
 
AEC play began at Immaculata University on Saturday, April 9. There, the Griffins matched the Might Macs in first-quarter scores thanks to tallies from Varilla (8:36, 0:51) and senior attack Anna Grace Bernicker (Merion Station, Pa.) (5:24); 3-3. Unfortunately, Immaculata University separated for a 9-6 (1:10) halftime edge before claiming an eventual 20-10 win over Gwynedd Mercy University.
 
The following Wednesday (Apr. 13), the Griffins visited Neumann University (6-6) for a league affair. Pelczar scored three of her team-high seven goals in a third quarter that saw Gwynedd Mercy University rally from a 8-6 halftime deficit to a 13-11 (0:07) advantage. In the fourth quarter, Pelczar's seventh score, 14-11 (11:55) and unassisted tallies from freshman attack Alysia Collins (Royersford, Pa.) (15-11, 9:32) and Hoats (16-13, 4:07) kept the Griffins out of harms' way in a 16-13 final. Following the victory, AEC weekly recognition was presented to Pelczar and Owens who respectively garnered an Honor Roll and the Defensive Player of the Week honors. Owens totaled 14 saves, five ground balls, and a caused turnover in her eighth win of the season.
 
Regrettably the victory was the last of the season for Gwynedd Mercy University, who battled Marywood University (4-7) (Apr. 20) to a 14-13 double-overtime loss before closing the regular season with league losses to Cabrini University (L, 7-21 on Apr. 23) and Marymount University (L, 13-23 on Apr. 27). Bernicker was the star of the Griffins final flourish, earning an AEC Weekly Honor Roll mention with 11 points (8 goals, 3 assists), six ground balls, and three draw controls between the contests versus the Pacers and Cavaliers.

Pelczar surpassed the 100 career-point plateau with an unassisted third-quarter score (11-10, 3:05) against Marywood University and finished the season among the AEC Top-10 for points (9^th, 68), goals (7^th, 54), ground balls (6^th, 45), and draw controls (6^th, 45). She also tied her teammate, Acuna for third in the league for caused turnovers (T3^rd, 27). Acuna also provided 11 points (10 goals, 1 assist), 38 ground balls, 27 caused turnovers, and 29 draw controls.
 
Owens posted league-highs in saves (214) on the strength of a 14.03 goals-against average (GAA) and a .476 save percentage. During the course of the season, she surpasses both the 200 and 300-career save plateaus, further cementing her position among the Griffins' top net minders. Owens currently ranks third all-time in saves (351) at Gwynedd Mercy University; this year's total of 214 stops ranks second all-time by the University's single-season standards.
 
Varilla was the Griffins' top scorer with team-highs in goals (59) and points (71). She ranked among the AEC Top-10 in both statistics – sixth in goals and tied for fifth in points – while recovering 30 ground balls and causing 11 turnovers. Her impressive season ranks third all-time in shots (119), tied for third in game-winning goals (4), fifth in goals, sixth in points and free-position goals (13), and seventh in shots on goal (89).
 
Bernicker and Hoats' contributions in the midfield were significant factors in the Griffins' success as well. Bernicker finished the year with 59 points (46 goals, 13 assists), 26 ground balls, 34 draw controls, and eight caused turnovers, while Hoats supplied Gwynedd Mercy University with 44 points (27 goals, 17 assists), 43 ground balls, eight draw controls, and 20 caused turnovers. Newcomers, Bloom and defender Cheyenne Avellino (Egg Harbor, N.J.) enjoyed strong freshmen seasons; the former recorded 31 points (19 goals, 12 assists), 18 ground balls, three draw controls, and 10 caused turnovers, while the latter totaled five points (2 goals, 3 assists), 31 ground balls, 18 draw controls, and 21 caused turnovers.