Paulina DiFatta

Personal: DiFatta graduated from Elon with a degree in finance and later earned a master’s degree in management from Pittsburgh. She currently works as a financial analyst for a commercial real estate company. DiFatta is one of three children in her family and has a mini goldendoodle named Bailey. She lists Pittsburgh women’s lacrosse coach Emily Boissonneault as a person who has made a significant difference in her life. Growing up, DiFatta participated in the business club and played soccer and basketball. Her hobbies include playing golf and tennis, spending time at the beach, and going on vacations. She wears No. 99 in honor of New York Yankees star Aaron Judge. DiFatta credits her high school goalie coach, George Fox, who lost his battle with cancer, for making an incredible impact on her career and inspiring her to follow her dream.

2023 Season: DiFatta collected 770 leaderboard points during her second professional season. She made her lone appearance of the season against Team Read in the Week Two opener, where she tallied one save with three goals allowed in three minutes. DiFatta registered five games with 100 or more leaderboard points, including a season-high 125 points against Team Apuzzo on August 12.

2022 Season: DiFatta was one of 15 players selected in the Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse College Draft. DiFatta accumulated 566 leaderboard points, including three games with 85 points. As a rookie, she made two appearances, starting the season opener against Team Apuzzo and registering two saves in 14 minutes. She also saw action during the Week Two opener against Team Moreno.

At Pittsburgh: Before joining Pittsburgh, DiFatta played for Elon and Fairfield. Throughout her college career, she achieved a 37-31 record with 661 saves and a .493 save percentage. She also tallied 148 ground balls and 41 caused turnovers. In 2022, DiFatta was a Second-Team All-Atlantic Coast Conference and IWLCA All-Region performer for the Panthers. She started all 19 games, earning Honorable Mention All-America distinction from Inside Lacrosse. DiFatta led the ACC and ranked fourth in the country with 198 saves. She also led the ACC and ranked 17th in NCAA Division I with 51 ground balls. DiFatta set ACC Tournament records for saves in a single game and in a tournament, making 37 saves in two tournament games. Her career-high was 19 stops against Louisville in the opening round. Throughout the 2022 campaign, DiFatta recorded 10 or more saves in a game 10 times. 

At Elon: Before her time at Pittsburgh, DiFatta spent three seasons at Elon, starting 28-of-29 contests. She did not appear in a game during the COVID-shortened 2020 season. As a senior, she led the Phoenix to a 9-3 record and earned Honorable Mention All-America recognition from USA Lacrosse Magazine in 2021. DiFatta posted a .529 save percentage with 23 ground balls and 10 caused turnovers. As a sophomore in 2019, she set the Elon single-season record with 160 saves while starting 17-of-18 games. DiFatta was also named to the Colonial Athletic Association All-Tournament Team. 

At Fairfield: DiFatta began her college career at Fairfield in 2018, earning a spot on the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference All-Rookie Team. In her freshman year, DiFatta ranked second in Division I with 211 saves, setting a Fairfield single-season record. She also ranked sixth in the country with a .512 save percentage.