Growing Pains Subsiding as Pitt Begins to See Sparks

Pitt coach Emily Boissonneault’s work on the recruiting trail requires considerable creativity.

She and her staff target players keen to craft history with the Panthers, who began competing at the Division I level in 2022. Boissonneault has a simple message for recruits — they’ll have to work for everything.

Nothing will ever be handed to them, especially in the ACC.

“We’ve never come out of a year with a top-10 recruiting class,” Boissonneault said. “That’s not who we are. We’re getting kids that want to work. They want to build their own legacy, and that’s exactly what we’ve done. What we put out on the field on game day is truly a piece of that commitment they have to this program.”

Kaitlyn Giandonato quickly aligned with Boissonneault’s vision for Pitt during her recruiting process. Giandonato had fallen in love with the school while visiting her older brother Ryan, a 2019 Pitt alum, but had no idea it would present a pathway to further her lacrosse career.

The Malvern, Pa., native committed to the Panthers in October 2021, months before the program played its first-ever game.

“I just always thought [highly] about making your own legacy and making a school desirable for new girls coming in — I wanted to create for them,” Giandonato said. “When I was getting recruited, I felt so loved and wanted. That’s the reason why I came here. I knew they weren’t faking a relationship to get me here.”

Once she arrived on campus, Giandonato endured the growing pains of a nascent program competing in one of the nation’s preeminent conferences. Pitt went winless in ACC play during her freshman season in 2024, then lost six of its first seven conference games in 2025. But Boissonneault said a senior day win over Notre Dame re-instilled belief in the project.

Fast forward nearly 10 months later, and Giandonato has helped deliver another historic milestone for the Panthers. The junior recorded four goals, two assists and four caused turnovers as Pitt defeated then-No. 14 Duke 17-10 in its ACC opener on Feb. 12.

Giandonato’s career day included a highlight-reel fourth-quarter goal in which she drove past her defender and sent her to the turf before dispatching a scoop shot into the back of the net.

“It’s one of the best feelings in the world, putting all your work into something and getting a result out of it,” Giandonato said. “Our team likes to celebrate the little things, like getting a ground ball, an assist or a goal. But now we have these wins to help us with that energy. We have to stay humble, but we can definitely use that for the rest of the season.”

The result marked the Panthers’ highest-ever ranked win and vaulted Pitt into the national polls for the first time in program history.

Heading into Wednesday’s game against Penn State, Pitt checks in at No. 20 in the USA Lacrosse Division I Women’s Top 20.

“It’s a pat on the back to everyone that’s gone through this program and helped us create this identity and culture,” Boissonneault said. “But ultimately, this hard work and grit that we’ve pulled out at the beginning of the year has been a testament to the work they’re willing to put in. There’s a lot more sacrifice and hard work that needs to be done to get where we want to go.”

As the Panthers have registered their first 2-0 start since 2022, Boissonneault has marveled at her team’s defensive identity. For Giandonato, the unit has allowed the attack to play with far more fluidity while providing myriad challenges on the practice field.

The Pitt defense, spearheaded by three-year starter Megan Sheridan, has surrendered just three fourth-quarter goals in two games. On the offensive end, Giandonato, Avery Moon, Paige Telatovich and Maureen McNierney have combined for 34 points.

“I’m just so inspired by coaching this group,” Boissonneault said. “Our defense is completely chaotic. They’re working so hard to cause chaos, and our offense has so much chemistry together. They make me believe in them more and more every day.”

An undefeated in-state battle in University Park awaits the Panthers. The matchup is part of a concerted effort by Boissonneault and her staff to test the team with several NCAA tournament-caliber non-conference foes.

That slate will include a March 31 battle with James Madison, where Boissonneault won a national title as an associate head coach on Shelley Klaes’ staff in 2018.

“We try not to focus beyond what’s in front of us,” Boissonneault said. “But we don’t want to see our season end in April. If we can get to May, we’re going to be really happy with the steps we’ve made this year.”

Although it’s the early stages of the 2026 season, Giandonato — an in-state recruit who took a chance on this upstart team — feels the current Pitt squad is unlike any she’s seen before.

“It’s believing that this is why you came here in the first place,” Giandonato said. “There’s a reason why I chose this place. It might be hard, like losing all the time in my freshman year, but you see those sparks. You just got to stay with it.”