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Lacrosse player Josie Lakosky shoots and scores against the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals in a home game during the 2025 season

Women's Lacrosse Braden Golisek - Assistant Director of Sports Information

PREVIEW: Wildcats Host Cardinals on Friday

MARQUETTE, Mich. -- The NMU lacrosse team returns to the Superior Dome, hosting the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals on Friday.

The Wildcats (6-2, 0-0 GLIAC) and Cardinals (1-5, 0-0 GLIAC) will be the first GLIAC conference match of the 2026 season, as NMU hosts SVSU on Friday, March 20, at 5 p.m. to kick off the conference slate. 

Admittance is free for fans, and you can also stream the game on FloLive. 

The Cardinals are in its second season as a program, as Saginaw Valley added women's lacrosse and joined the GLIAC for the 2025 season. NMU won 20-1 in University Center and 20-0 in Marquette last season.

Roaring Start
The Wildcats are off to a roaring start, as the team secured the program's first 5-0 start to a season thanks to a dramatic win over Colorado Mesa to start the spring break road trip. The Wildcats are now 6-2 in its opening eight contests, a feat that head coach Lindsey Majkrzak has accomplished three times in her tenure (2026, 2024, 2022), all of which are the only instances in NMU lacrosse history.

Josie Jubilee
A big part of the Wildcat success has been thanks to junior attacker  Josie Lakosky, who just hit the 200-career-point mark, and is only the second Wildcat to surpass 200 career points. In the landscape of Division II lacrosse, Lakosky leads the nation in points (54), is second in goals (39), points per game (6.75), shots per game (10.50), shots on goal per game (9.13), and is fifth in goals per game (4.88). Lakosky also leads the conference in draw controls (47) and draw controls per game (5.88), and her assist total (15) is second in the conference to Gabby Basha of Davenport (16).

Depth at Attack
Behind Lakosky, the 'Cats are getting solid contributions from junior Avery Lorinser (15-5--20), sophomore Hannah Jabas (11-8--19), and freshman Vanessa Carrico (15-3--18). As a team, the Wildcats 107 goals for and +4.5 goal margin are second in the conference, along with the team's goals per game (13.38), assists per game (5.38), points per game (18.75), shots per game (28.63), and shots on goal per game (22.63).

In the Midfield
The Wildcats lead the conference in clearing percentage (0.877), draw control percentage (0.540), and are second in draw controls per game (12.75). Evita Weiche has been the main draw taker in the circle, springing the trio of Lakosky (47), Taylor Roberts (20), and Katelyn Wozney (13) to pace the 'Cats. Roberts is fourth in the conference in draw controls. As a team, the 'Cats lead the conference with 121 clears and 102 draw controls. 

The Back Line
Junior Natalie Thomas paces the Wildcat defense, as she leads NMU defenders in caused turnovers (11) and ground balls (15). Other key figures on the defense include junior Sophie Langsdale (10 CT, 12 GB), sophomore Weiche (5 CT, 14 GB), and junior Krista Pascavis (4 CT, 5 GB). As a team, among the conference, the 'Cats have recorded the most ground balls (166), allowed the second fewest goals for (71), and are third in caused turnovers (68). 

Between the Pipes
Junior netminder Lauren Esposito leads the GLIAC in SV% (0.488), is second in GAA (9.73), and averages just south of nine saves per game with a total of 60 saves on the season. The netminder also leads the GLIAC in ground balls (31), and ground balls per game (4.43). The Wildcats have also held its opponents to 12-31 (0.387) on free position attempts, with Esposito a big reason for that. 

Receiving Votes in the Polls
The Wildcats are being 'Also Considered' in the USA Lacrosse Magazine for the second straight week, sitting just outside the top-20. The USA Lacrosse DII college rankings are compiled by USA Lacrosse Magazine writers with input from coaches around the country.



 
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Players Mentioned

Lauren Esposito

#35 Lauren Esposito

GK
5' 4"
Junior
Hannah Jabas

#17 Hannah Jabas

A
5' 8"
Sophomore
Josie Lakosky

#1 Josie Lakosky

A
5' 7"
Junior
Sophie Langsdale

#11 Sophie Langsdale

MF
5' 6"
Junior
Avery Lorinser

#18 Avery Lorinser

A
5' 8"
Junior
Krista Pascavis

#74 Krista Pascavis

D
5' 11"
Junior
Taylor Roberts

#8 Taylor Roberts

MF
5' 7"
Sophomore
Natalie Thomas

#2 Natalie Thomas

D
5' 10"
Junior
Evita Weiche

#24 Evita Weiche

D
5' 6"
Sophomore
Katelyn Wozney

#10 Katelyn Wozney

MF
5' 2"
Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Lauren Esposito

#35 Lauren Esposito

5' 4"
Junior
GK
Hannah Jabas

#17 Hannah Jabas

5' 8"
Sophomore
A
Josie Lakosky

#1 Josie Lakosky

5' 7"
Junior
A
Sophie Langsdale

#11 Sophie Langsdale

5' 6"
Junior
MF
Avery Lorinser

#18 Avery Lorinser

5' 8"
Junior
A
Krista Pascavis

#74 Krista Pascavis

5' 11"
Junior
D
Taylor Roberts

#8 Taylor Roberts

5' 7"
Sophomore
MF
Natalie Thomas

#2 Natalie Thomas

5' 10"
Junior
D
Evita Weiche

#24 Evita Weiche

5' 6"
Sophomore
D
Katelyn Wozney

#10 Katelyn Wozney

5' 2"
Sophomore
MF