PHILADELPHIA (September 27, 2022) – The HEADstrong Pennsylvania Girls Lacrosse Club announced today it has acquired the West Chester Patriots Lacrosse Club, in affiliation with the West Chester Lacrosse Association. Current Patriots girl’s director, Mandy Gionfriddo, will serve as the general manager of the club moving forward.
All players currently enrolled in the West Chester Patriots Lacrosse Club will now play under the HEADstrong Pennsylvania Girls Lacrosse Club umbrella. The club has a fall competition schedule, 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 is open to players throughout the greater Philadelphia region.
“We are very excited to announce this news,” HEADstrong Lacrosse Director Jon Knowles said. “This is a well established program that will bring continued growth to the club and continue to solidify the HEADstrong Lacrosse mission of developing the complete student-athlete both on and off the field.”
Gionfriddo founded the Patriots program and has served as the Girls Director of Lacrosse for the WCLA since 2016. She has coached field hockey and lacrosse in Ridley for the past 18 years, and served as a captain of the Ridley 1995 Pennsylvania State Championship team. A member of the Marple Newtown High School Hall of Fame for lacrosse, Gionfriddo served as captain of the 1998 and 1999 teams at Cabrini, earning first-team All PAC and honorable mention honors for lacrosse and field hockey in 1997, 1998 and 1999.
“I’m incredibly honored and excited to have our current girls become a part of something so great,” Gionfriddo 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 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.