BY: SEAN WALLACE, STAFF WRITER
Photo Courtesy of gobonnies.com
Finishing with an overall record of 8-9 in 2024, the Bonnies look to bounce back this season and seek a return to the conference tournament after their last appearance in 2023.
Six of their top nine scorers return in 2025, including senior attacker Fiona McGovern. Top 10 among all-time Bonnies in points, she ranked eighth in the A-10 in points and fifth in assists last season. She led the team with 59 points on 32 goals and 27 assists.
The Bonnies also retained junior midfielder Brooke Piper. Leading the team with 33 goals, she earned Second Team All-Conference honors, ranked sixth among A-10 players with four draw controls per game and set a program record with 68 draw controls.
Piper said the team’s number one goal this season is to compete with big teams and return to the A-10 tournament.
“The talent that we have on this team is more than strong enough to compete at the top of the conference this year,” said Piper. “We made it to the tournament my freshman year and fell short last year. Personally, I want to build off the season that I had last year and be the best that I can be. I want to continue to grow as a person, player and teammate, as well as make amazing memories with my teammates.”
Junior attacker Grace Hollenbeck will return. She ranked fourth among the team with 20 goals and eight assists. She also recorded 16 groundballs, four caused turnovers, 10 multi-point contests and back-to-back four-goal games against La Salle and Duquesne Mar. 16 and 20.
Hollenbeck said her siblings helped her during the offseason.
“My sister, Emma Hollenbeck, pushes me to stay consistent with conditioning, weight training, stickwork and footwork throughout the offseason. My brother, Ryan Hollenbeck, also challenges me to get better by training with Emma and I. My goals this season are to have fun playing with my teammates and make it to the A-10 tournament,” said Hollenbeck.
Tallying 19 points on 11 goals and eight assists, junior attacker Rylee Gonzalez will return. She recorded 15 groundballs, two caused turnovers and three multi-goal games.
“During the offseason, it is extremely important to work on the little things,” said Gonzalez. “This means constantly staying active so that when the season does approach, we can focus less on the conditioning side of things during our scheduled practice times and more on new plays that we can use during our games. The goal for this season is to win as many games as possible. I hope to help by contributing as much as possible.”
Tori Nascimento, captain of the team, posted a career-high 18 points on 14 goals and four assists last season. She scored a career-high five points on four goals and an assist against Youngstown State University and recorded three multi-point games.
Nascimento said her main goal is to come into the season in peak performance.
“During the offseason, my focus is staying consistent with my stick skills, conditioning and footwork,” said Nascimento. “When I do not have access to a field, I find other aspects of the game to work on, whether that’s doing ladders, lifting, or running on the treadmill. For this upcoming season, I plan to be the best teammate and leader I can be, give it my all and guide my team to a better record than last year.”
Junior midfielder Megan Schillinger will return. She started all 17 games last season and recorded 64 draw controls, tying the second-best single-season mark in program history. She also tallied the ninth most points among the team with 10 goals and five assists, recorded seven draw controls in four games, five caused turnovers and 12 groundballs.
Among the top nine in points, attacker Abby Hiltz and midfielder Kassi Hogan graduated, but despite three of their top nine scorers leaving, the team added 12 freshmen.
Bonnies head coach LeighAnn Stauffer will return for her third season and Kristen Parker will return for her second as assistant coach. Named 2023 A-10 Co-Coach of the Year, Stauffer, ’17, broke the team’s 16-year A-10 tournament appearance drought in 2023.
After dropping the season opener against Pittsburgh in a 13-12 overtime heartbreaker, the Bonnies defeated Canisius 18-6. Bonaventure is set to host Niagara University at the Marra Athletics Complex Saturday, at 3 p.m.
