Women’s lacrosse’s first home game was a crushing win of 14- 8 against Brevard on Feb. 17. Captain Willow Cooper, senior, scored six goals for her team with Victoria Tyler, graduate student, Micaiyah Dickerson, freshman, Caroline Moore, freshman, scoring two goals each.
Assistant Lacrosse Coach Sarah Perry said the team performed well.
“I think they played great! Our first chance to get out of there and debut what we have. Bright spots were definitely the teamwork on the field, a lot of assisted goals, and a lot of firsts for the team and our athletes! We definitely need to work on a little bit of everything, mostly just getting the kinks and jitters out! Definitely Willow, Caroline, Faith Chubbuck, senior, and (Makaila) Veney, junior. A great first game, lots to improve on, but lots to celebrate,” Perry said.
Perry commended Cooper on her leadership skills and Moore on her defensive skills that helped them on the field.
“Willow scored 5 or 6 and got us started on the field, she is also our captain this year and took on that leadership role the whole game Caroline came in as a defensive player and has really picked up midfield, not only did she score (not sure how many) but she also caused turnovers and kept us alive on the ride”
Karen Harvey, head lacrosse coach, had a few concerns about the first game of the season.
“I think it was typical of a first game we had some first game nerves. Turned the ball over probably more than what I want or what we expect so it was typical of a first game. There was still a lot of good things that came from it we are going to get better with each game, gain more confidence. We just need to work on controlling the ball and not turning it over, that’s probably the biggest thing. Working on ground balls coming up on those 50-50 balls,” Harvey said.
Overall Harvey had a few shoutouts of her own and was delighted over her defensive line.
“I think Cai (Dickerson), freshman, did a great job on the draw. I think our defenders, we had a few let downs, but for the most part, we did good defensively containing their best players. Willow obviously, I mean Willow is a great player, so we expect that from her, but I mean she still deserves that recognition because she had a great game” Harvey said.
Even with weeks of preparation, every team always has a few tweaks to straighten out. For lacrosse, it’s the team chemistry and positioning of the newcomers.
“We are still working on that chemistry with our returners and newcomers and just getting that feeling on the field, “Perry reassures. “Running plays more smoothly comes with time.”
Last season, women’s lacrosse were second overall in the conference, and for the upcoming season, Cooper said they try not to look too far in advance.
“The main thing is that we take things one game at a time. We would like to finish with a winning record,” said Cooper.
Their toughest opponents have been Washington and Lee, and Roanoke. According to the coaches, The team’s strongest points have been the depth that they have worked on, and the weakest link in their chain has just been their new players’ comfortability with the field.
“The ODAC is one of the toughest conferences in DIII. Two teams are ranked in the top 20 with W&L ranked at 7th and Roanoke 18th. It is still early, but we have a little more depth this year. We have a lot of young players, so trying to work out nerves and discover who we really can be (is though),” said Cooper.
The women’s next game is today at noon against Guilford at home.
