Gavula headed to Edinboro
BUTLER TWP — Lindsay Gavula excelled at recruiting players to join the Butler girls lacrosse team.
Now she wants to prove she can be a standout recruit herself.
The Golden Tornado senior defender recently signed a letter of intent to continue her academic and lacrosse career at Edinboro University. She also considered Chatham for lacrosse and Youngstown State “just to go to college and not play anymore.”
Gavula decided she still wanted to play. She’s been playing lacrosse since sixth grade.
“I love the campus at Edinboro and when I was up there, I talked to the coach about joining the lacrosse team,” Gavula said. “The opportunity was there, so I took it.”
Butler assistant girls lacrosse coach Cory Hurley referred to Gavula as “one of the strongest defenders on the team. She’s like having an extra coach on the field, a very knowledgeable and heady player.”
And a convincing one.
“I helped talk a lot of girls into joining our team,” Gavula said. “When I started in high school, I was one of six freshmen on the team. I’ll be one of 13 seniors on the team this spring, so we’ve added quite a few.”
Tornado teammate Ava Best, who recently signed to continue her career at Allegheny, said Gavula “talked me into joining the team. She did that with a lot of girls.”
Butler finished 9-8 last season. Gavula is hoping to help the Tornado to a stronger season this spring, then go to work on improving the women’s lacrosse fortunes at Edinboro.
Anthony Turini will be in his third season at Edinboro this spring and is still looking for his first Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference win. The Fighting Scots are 4-30 overall, 0-24 in PSAC play over the past two years.
The team has not won more than three games in a season since 2016. In its past five campaigns, Edinboro is 2-58 in conference play. Of the 20 players on the 2024 roster, 11 are freshmen or sophomores.
“Lindsay is the type of player who can help them,” Hurley said. “She knows how to be a leader on the field, rally a team together. She gets the ball in her hands and knows how to get a play started.
“She can jump-start an offense. I’m confident she’ll make a big impact up there.”
By the time she’s a senior at Edinboro, Gavula is hopeful she will be a first or second-team All-PSAC player.
“My communication on the field is probably one of my biggest assets,” she said. “I know how to read a play and get everybody on the same page. I need to stay on my toes a little more and be ready for transition more.
“I want to keep playing this sport. I’m excited about the opportunity.”
