Women’s lacrosse off to strong start due to team effort, defense

By SARA ARMOR

Within the first five seconds of play on Saturday, March 21, senior Corinne Wiederkehr scored her first goal of the game, putting the University of Mary Washington women’s lacrosse team on the scoreboard.

Three goals and three assists later from sophomore Kate Smucker further set the Eagles ahead in this game against Capital Athletic Conference competitor Frostburg State. Seven Eagles scored during the game, including Wiederkehr and Sunderland adding four each, leaving the Eagles with a 16-8 win over Frostburg.

The women’s lacrosse team is off to a great start for the season with a 6-2 record. With great leadership and a positive mindset, the team feels they have a chance to go far this season if they treat every game like it’s a championship.

Sophomore biology major Sabrina Elliott attributes the team’s success thus far to their team’s chemistry.

“The team’s ability to mesh well on and off the field, and the fact that we are all buying into the plan to work hard and believe in each other,” said Elliott in reference to what she thinks makes the team strong.

It is easy to see that this group of girls works well as a unit and comes to give a complete team effort each game.

One of the team’s earlier games of the year against Washington & Lee University did not end with a win but did leave a lasting impact on the team. The quadruple overtime battle, against a team who beat them last season, showed the Eagles they possessed a fighting spirit. The sense of teamwork and determination from that game was then carried into each future competition.

“It reminded us why we work so hard every day at practice,” said Elliot. “The feeling of getting so close is going to drive us to play even harder and hopefully lead us to the CAC championship game.”

A notable difference in defensive play has helped this team claim their fair share of victories this spring.

“Our defense is much more comfortable in high-pressure situations,” said sophomore math major Emily Mott. “Knowledge about this defense from last season, experience and hard-work have allowed us to take it to the next level.”

Taking coaching tactics brought by second-year Head Coach Caitlin Moore and applying them during their games is another way the Eagles will look to continue their successful season.

Their quick game-time reactions to different scenarios throughout the 60 minutes of each game provide for an exciting display of athletics. This season has been made up of thrilling wins, over-time battles, nail-biting close calls and a dramatic come-from-behind effort after facing a large deficit all in the opening weeks of the season. The Eagles will look to add more of such games to their resumes while hoping to notch each one in the win column as they head toward winning just their second CAC title in school history.