PHILADELPHIA (April 28, 2022) – The HEADstrong Lacrosse Club announced today the creation of the HEADstrong Pennsylvania Girls Lacrosse Club, which will be led by general manager Nicole Barretta.
The program will follow the same format as the other HEADstrong Lacrosse Clubs with fall competition, winter skill development, summer tournament play and community service to help advance the mission of the HEADstrong Foundation. Based in Chester County, Pennsylvania, HEADstrong Pennsylvania Girls will be open to players throughout the greater Philadelphia region.
“We are proud to welcome the HEADstrong Pennsylvania Girls program to the HEADstrong Lacrosse family,” HEADstrong Vice President Michael Colleluori said. “We are excited for the potential of this program and think that Nicole is the best person to grow the game and the HEADstrong mission in that area.”
Barretta, currently in her second season as the head coach of the women’s lacrosse program at Immaculata University, graduated from Temple in 2018 and received a Master’s degree from Stony Brook in 2019. During her playing career at Temple, Barretta was a three-time Big East All-Academic team selection and scored 56 goals and added 17 assists for a total of 73 points. At Stony Brook, she appeared in 17 games with 26 goals, two assists, 18 ground balls and eight caused turnovers enroute to helping lead the Seawolves to their seventh consecutive America East Conference Championship.
In her first season at Immaculata, Barretta mentored three Atlantic East All-Conference players. Prior to joining the Mighty Macs, she was an assistant coach at Stockton University in New Jersey. There she assisted in leading the program through the NJAC Conference as well as creating practice plans, reviewing game film and recruiting.
“I’m incredibly honored to be joining the HEADstrong family and am thankful for the opportunity,” Barretta said. “I am looking forward to building a program that is bigger than lacrosse and emphasizes everything that HEADstrong stands for.”
The HEADstrong Lacrosse Club was established in 2006 by HEADstrong founder Nicholas Colleluori and HEADstrong supporters with a vision of empowering athletes to support the fight against cancer. HLC has established itself as a preeminent lacrosse organization that has grown nationally and is committed to providing its players with an incredible and fun-filled learning experience. Led by first-class directors and a dedicated staff comprised of both current and former professional athletes and collegiate lacrosse players who have played competitive lacrosse for the HEADstrong Lacrosse Club. HEADstrong’s personalized approach to lacrosse instruction focuses on both individual and team development.