Despite frigid temperatures and snow-covered conditions on the Hilltop, the Georgetown University women’s lacrosse team has returned to Cooper Field ready to start off strong in their season-opening clash with neighboring American University on Feb. 6.
The team’s 2025 campaign marked the first season under Head Coach Caitlyn Phipps, with the Hoyas finishing 9-8 overall and 4-2 in Big East play to place them fourth in Big East regular-season standings. Georgetown advanced to the Big East conference tournament, but fell 20-9 to top-seeded University of Denver Pioneers in the semifinals.
Reflecting on her inaugural season at the helm, Phipps said the foundation laid by their program last year continues to be important.
“Last season taught us a great deal about who we are as a team,” Phipps wrote to The Hoya. “This group came back this fall hungry, driven, and ready to push themselves every day. Our standards and expectations are high, and we have tremendous confidence in this team.”
Building on that foundation, Georgetown was picked to finish fourth in the Big East preseason poll.
On Jan. 12, the Hoyas named this season’s three captains: senior defender Kendall Steer, senior attacker Gracie Driggs and graduate goaltender Leah Warehime. All three, who were voted on as captains by their teammates, started every game last season and will anchor their respective units this spring.
Phipps said the chosen captains are perfect selections for the role.
“They’ve earned the trust and respect of their teammates and have helped strengthen the culture of our team both on and off the field,” Phipps wrote. “They are outstanding players, competitors, and people who understand what it takes to bring out the best in others.”
Driggs, who led the team with 51 goals in 2025, was the only Hoya to be a unanimous selection on the preseason all-Big East Team, demonstrating the respect she garners as an offensive weapon among coaches in the conference.
Apart from her scoring ability, Driggs also serves as the Hoyas’ primary draw specialist. In 2025, she notched 123 draw controls, the second-best in a single season in program history.
Driggs said she has firmly embraced her newfound title as a captain.
“My main goal is to make sure everyone on the team feels confident and connected,” Driggs wrote to The Hoya. “I know that when you feel like your teammates truly believe in you, you can just go out there and play your game without overthinking.”
Steer joined Driggs on the preseason all-Big East team and will lead the defensive unit following the graduation of standout defenders Mikaila Kitchen and Lily Athanas. In 2025, Steer tallied 30 ground balls and 15 caused turnovers and was named Big East Defensive Player of the Week last April.
Warehime, a captain for the second straight season, will guide the Hoyas in net. In her first year as the primary goalkeeper, Warehime recorded 129 saves for a .396 save percentage while collecting 25 ground balls, which earned her a place on the second-team all-Big East team.
While the captains will play key leadership roles both on and off the field, they are joined by a diverse and talented supporting cast. On the offensive side, Driggs will form a three-headed scoring monster with junior attacker Anne McGovern and sophomore attacker Sophia Loschert.
McGovern, who finished second on the team in assists last season with 29, is entering her second season as a full-time starter for the Hoyas and possesses a unique mix of finishing and playmaking that bodes well for the Hoyas’ conference title aspirations.
Loschert, who was the third and final Hoya named to the preseason all-Big East team, looks to build on an impressive first-year campaign that saw her score 34 goals (ranking second on the team) and earn Big East Freshman of the Year.
Loschert said her goal this season is to become a more holistic player.
“My biggest goal now that I have made a presence out on the field is to keep evolving my game and becoming a more complete player,” Loschert wrote to The Hoya. “Scoring will always be important, but I’m really trying to focus on the little things, whether it’s racing to every ground ball, catching the ball outside the 12-meter, or knowing when to pull the ball when I am in trouble.”
Other notable returning Hoyas who will seek to add to the potent offense include junior attacker Lauren Steer — the younger sister of Kendall Steer — who tallied 21 points last year and senior attacker Molly Byrne, who recorded 14 points in 7 starts for the Hoyas last season.
Defensively, Captain Kendall Steer will be joined by sophomore defender Christina King and senior defender Trinity Koetje. King started all 17 games for the Hoyas in her first year on the Hilltop, leading the squad in caused turnovers with 17 while picking up 15 ground balls. Koetje, in her first year as a starter for the Hoya defense, tied with Kendall Steer for third on the team in caused turnovers with 15. Junior midfielders Molly Wood and Reagan Ziegler will likely also be strong contributors on defense and offense.
In their first full offseason, the 2025 Big East Co-Coaching Staff of the Year was able to bring in a class of 11 talented high school seniors. With midfield being the biggest question mark for the Hoyas entering the season, fans should look for first-year midfielders Lily Gum, Betsy Burton, Sydney Wanner and Daphne Fallon to potentially break out early.
Following their opener against American, Georgetown faces a challenging nonconference slate, including matchups against No. 7 University of Maryland, No. 9 Johns Hopkins University, No. 18 Loyola University (Md.) and No. 13 University of Pennsylvania, before opening Big East play at Marquette University on March 21.
With a multitude of opportunities against nationally ranked opponents, the Hoyas will have early chances to test their progress.
Loschert said the team shares the same goal of rising back to prominence.
“We all want to win, we all care about the program, and we all share the same vision of bringing the program back to the top of the Big East,” Loschert wrote.
