After a 17-3 opening day loss and a postponement of their next two games, the women’s lacrosse team looks to grab a much needed win at home today, Apr. 15 against the Ursinus Bears. It has been a difficult year for this team, given the pandemic, but they have kept their energy up and are staying motivated despite the crazy schedule.
“It has been a major struggle to keep the positive energy up after having two postponed games, however, we have been able to come back stronger than ever because of it. I think one thing that really helps keep us focused for the next opportunity to play is seeing each other at practice every day and trying to have as much fun as possible,” said captain Madeline Dill ‘22.
“The team has shown an immense amount of focus and resilience despite the extremely uncertain season we have had so far. We want nothing more than to play games, so although games have been postponed we are all just so eager for the next opportunity to play,” she said.
Also, the group has recognized that they cannot allow what is not in their control to affect their attitude about this season.“The team has come to terms with this season being very unpredictable, but we are extremely happy to be given the chance to have competitions even with all of the postponements. The athletic department has been really supportive throughout all of this and tried to accommodate us with the few hiccups we have had so far with the season,” said fellow captain Lauren Sammarro ‘21. “The postponement has shown us how much we really do want to play and continues to push us to take what we can with this season.”
What has seemed to be the biggest obstacle for the team this season has been building the same team chemistry as they would be able to in a non-COVID environment.
“Despite practices, this season has been somewhat difficult to bond with our teammates. We do spend two hours together every day for practice, and in that time we make the most of it and enjoy each other’s company. Off the field, we are allowed to eat together in the dining hall or hang out together outside with masks on which we are super thankful for,” said Dill. “Although it’s hard to mimic team chemistry from other years, 2021 has taught us to respect each other and our time more than any other year. Because this team has been through so much together, we value every second we get together and with that I would say our team chemistry is great this year.”
The team has been able to build a strong chemistry using unconventional methods.
“We have been able to jump on Zooms and talk through some things. We have been very positive throughout all of this and the chemistry on the field has not been lacking,” Sammarro said. “A common factor we all have is knowing how lucky we are to even have the chance to have this condensed season so no one has been taking it for granted.”
This team is ready to get going and they are prepared to get off to a better start.
“The game plan going into our game against Ursinus is to play through the full 60 minutes and to fight for every ground ball or 50/50 opportunity. On attack we want to score as many goals possible as early on as we can and we also want to make sure we do not let Ursinus’s defense get any caused turnovers on us,” said Dill. “On the defensive end we are looking to come out super aggressive within the first couple minutes and try to strip the ball from Ursinus as much as we can. Defense is hoping to get a lot of clean turnovers with the least amount of fouls possible. Obviously, our overall goal is to outplay and beat Ursinus, and I think that this 2021 team is more than capable of doing that.”
This team is driven to win and they have a steady game plan.
“The team has been preparing all week for the game and we are just glad that it has been rescheduled with all of the difficult factors that went into us playing. The team is hungry to be able to just compete and I know they will do great on Thursday,” said Sammarro. “It goes to show that you never know what is going to happen during these times and can’t take anything for granted. Thursday’s game will be a great competition for us and I believe we are very prepared going into it.”
With a great game plan going in and with tons of motivation to get out the gates, this team looks poised today to make this a very competitive game.
