2017 Lacrosse Roster
Cali Castagnola
- Position:
- Attack
- Height:
- 5-7
- Class:
- Senior
- Hometown:
- Alamo, Calif.
- High School:
- Carondelet
2014 WomensLAX.com Rookie of the Week (March 10)
2016 CU Female Athlete of the Week (Feb. 15)
SENIOR (2017): Castagnola played in all 20 games and started three for the Buffaloes. In her senior season, Castagnola continued to strengthen Colorado’s offense with 27 goals on 53 shots (42 on goal) and 10 assists. She had the fourth most free position goals on the team during the season, scoring on 12 out of 18 attempts, and was ranked 100th nationally in free position goals per game (0.60). Castagnola also added three groundballs, one draw control and one caused turnover on the season for the Buffs. She had a season high six points in the win over Marquette on March 5, with four goals and two assists. Castagnola also scored three times in the 18-6 win over Winthrop on March 15. Her other hat trick was crucial in the 9-7 victory against Delaware on March 29. She scored twice in the second half to tie the game at seven, and her third marker put the Buffs ahead by two, allowing CU to extend its longest win streak to 11 games. Castagnola remained a weapon for the Colorado offense throughout the season; she recorded two goals in the games against Stetson, Denver, Penn State, Oregon, Fresno State, Stony Brook and California; and one goal against San Diego State, Stanford and UC Davis.
JUNIOR (2016): Castagnola remained a key part of the team’s offense, despite seeing action in mostly a reserve role. She played in all 18 games and earned four starts as an attacker, scoring 28 goals with seven assists for 35 points. She also attempted 54 shots, including 45 on goal and had a team-high five game-winning goals, while converting 9-of-14 free-position shots. Castagnola also added 10 ground balls, three caused turnovers and two draw controls. In addition to leading the team in game-winning goals, she was third on the team in goals and fourth in points. She ranked fifth in the MPSF and 92nd nationally in free-position goals per game (0.50). She started the year off in record fashion, breaking a pair of school marks in a season-opening 11-10 win at Denver. Castagnola scored the fastest consecutive goals in school history (11 seconds apart at 27:57 and 27:46 of the first half; broken later in the year by Johnna Fusco) and the earliest hat track (5:15 into the game). She finished the game with three goals and an assist, while earning a ground ball and a draw control in her first start of the year. Her efforts won her CU Female Athlete of the Week on Feb. 15. She backed that up with three goals and four assists in an 18-4 win at Fresno State on Feb. 21, scoring two free-position goals. Her three ground balls in a 10-8 win at Marquette on Feb. 28 were a season high and she also added two goals, including the game-winner in that victory. Castagnola had season highs of four goals and two assists for six points and scored the game-winning goal in overtime for a thrilling 15-14 win over James Madison on March 3. She also scored three goals and had the game-winning goals in wins over Michigan and Oregon, the latter coming in the quarterfinals of the MPSF Tournament on April 28.
SOPHOMORE (2015): Castagnola continued to play well in her second year as a Buff. She saw action in 17 games with starts in five. With a total of 14 goals and three assists she earned 17 points in the 2015 season. She took 28 shots and 20 on goal, resulting in a shot percentage of .500. She was the top scorer on the team among non-starters and tied for the team-lead in man-up goals with three. Castagnola had a pair of hat tricks, scoring three goals in a 19-0 win over Presbyterian on March 2 and again in a 21-5 win over Saint Mary's (Calif.) on April 17, coming off the bench in both contests. She also had a two-goal game to help the Buffs edge New Hampshire 10-9 on March 17 in her third start of the season. Her two ground balls in a win over Marquette on Feb. 14 were a season high.
FRESHMAN (2014): Castagnola put her name in the young CU record books early and often. She was the first Buff to ever score a goal (18:43 remaining at Stetson), the first to score off a free-position goal and the first to record a hat trick (completed just three minutes after her first goal). In the Buffs’ inaugural game, Castagnola score four goals off five shots, caused two turnovers and recorded one ground ball and one draw control. Her success would only progress throughout the season. She tied for first on the team with 12 free-position goals, ranked second with 47 points and 39 goals and ranked third with eight assists, 63 shots and 55 shots on goal. One of seven Buffs to start all 19 games, Castagnola also ranked in the MPSF top eight in free-position goals per game and goals per game. She went 12-for-17 from the 8-meter arc and tallied 10 ground balls, nine caused turnovers, eight assists, four draw controls and two game-winning goals. Castagnola had five games with four or more goals and had scoring streaks for three or more games on four separate occasions. She notched a season-high six points (five goals and one assist) and two ground balls against Temple and netted four goals against Fresno State. She had a season-high seven shots in those back-to-back games, helping her to a WomensLAX.com Rookie of the Week honor.
HIGH SCHOOL: In four seasons with the varsity lacrosse team, Castagnola racked up over 150 goals and 70 assists. All four years, Castagnola was named a California Scholastic Federation honoree and North Coast Section Scholar Athlete. For the three consecutive years, Carondelet claimed the NCS championship, and Castagnola was named to the CIF Scholastic Championship Team. She was also a three-time Distinguished Scholastic Team selection. In her sophomore and junior seasons, she helped the team to back-to-back East Bay Athletic League Championships, tallying a 42-4 overall record. As a senior, she received first-team All-East Bay and second-team EBAL honors. Castagnola also claimed the Coaches Award in recognition of the 2011-13 NCS Playoffs/Championships, where she scored 42 goals and contributed 12 assists. Her junior year, Castagnola earned EBAL first-team, Under Armour West Elite Team and Contra Costa Times All-County second-team honors. She was named the Lacrosse Magazine Player to Watch in March 2012 and earned Max Prep and ESPN Regional Girls' Athlete of the Week honors for her performance during the 2012 NCS Championship game. As a sophomore, she was named a Sportstars Athlete of the Week and the KCBS athlete of the NCS Championship Game. Castagnola was also a letter-winner in tennis.
IN THE CLASSROOM: She majored in marketing.
PERSONAL: Cali Terese Castagnola was born on June 1, 1994 to Mark and Lynne Castagnola. She has worked as a soccer referee, and enjoys skiing and water skiing, the movie Bridesmaids and country singer Jason Aldean. Her favorite team is the San Francisco Giants. She was a class representative from 2010-12. She was highly recruited, but chose CU because she liked the school and the beautiful area. She is excited to be a part of a new program and to play for Coach Elliott.
