The lacrosse team had their first real test of the season when they faced off against No. 6 Gettysburg College on Thursday, March 20. Despite trailing 10-7 with about six minutes to go, the Lions remained confident and pulled out their biggest win of the season in a hard-fought match.“I think we had a really strong foundation as a team and I think we really had a great group of practices coming into it, so everyone was prepared,” junior attacker Ava Fitzgerald said. “We were also really prepared skill-wise, and I think we had a really positive mentality and knew what we needed to get done and accomplished.”
Junior attacker Kendal Borup continued her great start to the year after scoring four goals against the Bullets, bringing her season total to 26. Behind her — and also having an impressive game — was Fitzgerald, who scored three goals, including the final one in overtime to put the Lions ahead 11-10.
“It was honestly exciting, but we all felt that we had to stay composed because we still had time left and we had to keep our composure on the field,” Fitzgerald said about scoring the final goal. “It was an awesome win for us, and I think it really helped propel us into the season. We now know how we need to compete against big rivals and how we have to carry our level of game when the time comes.”
In the following game against Neumann University, the Lions had their best offensive showing of the season, scoring 18 goals in the first half, taking the victory 22-6.
“Once they scored goals, we kind of had the mentality that we had to get it back, so we knew that once again we were finding opportunities and looking for people on the inside,” Fitzgerald said. “We were answering back to make up for the goal that they had scored (in order to) maintain our game’s lead and position.”
Next week, the team looks to extend their winning streak against Ursinus College on Tuesday, March 25, and Ramapo College on Saturday, March 29.
“Looking ahead, our main goal is to maintain that undefeated record and to just always improve with each game,” Fitzgerald said. “(Those are the best games when) we can really learn and grow as a team.”
