Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 12/4/08
Villa Maria Academy graduate Mary Liva heads the list of seven freshmen that will bolster Villanova this spring for head coach Jebb Chagan.
The versatile Liva, a native of Bryn Mawr, helped Villa Maria win the Association of Catholic Academies Conference championship. Liva will play attack.
“One of the things we really like about Mary is that she is capable of playing a number of different positions on the lacrosse field,” said Chagan. “She’s a very smart player and sees the field exceptionally well. Mary’s brother (Dan Liva, a Malvern Prep graduate) is a senior captain on our men’s team here at Villanova and we look forward to seeing her add to that tradition.”
Justine Donodeo is a midfielder from Holbrook, N.Y., who attended Sachem East High School in Farmingville, N.Y. She earned four varsity letters in lacrosse and three others in soccer. A 2007 Academic All-American, she was an all-county performer in each of her four seasons and her team’s most valuable player.
Christina Habicht comes to Villanova from Baldwin, Md. She played on both the attack and defense at Loch Raven High School but figures to be used on defense in college according to Chagan.
Danielle Freiji is another member of this class from metropolitan Baltimore. She was a strong defender at Notre Dame Prep and also earned varsity letters in swimming.
Princess Livingston is a midfielder from Danbury, Conn., who played three sports at Danbury High School, including lacrosse, basketball and field hockey. She was a two-time all-state selection and an honorable mention All-American as a senior. During her career at Danbury she established a new school record for points with 127 (63 goals, 64 assists).
Trish Shanagan is a talented forward who the coaching staff believes can bolster the attack.
Rounding out Villanova’s crop of newcomers is Lauren Gallagher. She is a native of Madison, N.J., who was an all-conference second team selection at Villa Walsh Academy in Morristown, N.J.
