Spring sports are in session and all of them are playing hard in order to win. The girl’s lacrosse team in particular is competing with a full varsity team.
“There are 19 people, I believe, on the varsity team,” senior and captain Jaclyn Poe said. “Half are seniors and the rest are juniors and sophomores and we have one freshman. The team is really close and there is little drama. We all get along really well.”
There is a strong bond between the players, which is key in order for the team to cooperate well and dominate the field.
“The dynamic of the team is very strong and positive,” junior Emma Rivard said. “We support each other on and off the field which is really important.”
The team also depends on its defenders to help the team out.
“The juniors really stepped it up this year,” Poe said. “Erica Eisenberg and Jasmine Respess in particular are really good defenders and have done a good job this year.”
A vast majority of the players have been playing for multiple years and have had a great deal of previous experience to prep them for what’s to come with the varsity games.
“I have been playing for three years and I instantly fell in love with the sport,” Poe said. “I have been on a couple of club teams as well along with some other girls on the team.
The practices are becoming increasingly difficult, especially with the busy academic schedules of most of the players.”
The academically stressful time of the year with AP testing, EOC’s and finals is approaching, but the players are still able to manage.
“It gets difficult balancing practices, games and the AP’s and other testing, but we get it done,” Rivard said. “If we do need more time for school work our coach understands how important it is.”
Poe added that due to the fact that she is a three sport athlete, she finds that lacrosse is the easiest to play and still keep up with school work.
Practices are also fun ways to sharpen ones skills and at the same time bond with team mates.
“Practices are fun and we learn a lot,” Rivard said. “Because we are a varsity team we already have the basics down, so during practice we work on plays to do during games. We do a good amount of conditioning, but nothing we can’t handle.
The academic challenges among other things have proven to be nothing that the team cannot handle and the players continue to do their best.
“I would like to see practices get more game like and intense,” Poe said. “The game that was the most challenging for me, and I think for the rest of the team, was Hazelwood West. We should have beaten them and we were missing some key players. On top of that we had had four other games that week. We ended up going into double over time against them and losing. Still my personal goal this year is to go really far in districts, beat Ladue, and upset a private school team.”
Rivard added that beating Ladue and competing against the harder private school teams is one of her top priorities.
The great deal of rain this spring has largely affected the team in a negative way.
“The rain has hurt our season a lot,” Poe said. “I’m really mad because we had three games canceled and they can’t get re-scheduled. It has also affected practices. The team can’t play as well in the rain, so that was really not good.”
Being one of the three captains is a huge responsibility, however, it has both its challenges and its rewards.
“The most rewarding part about being a captain is strangely having to be more responsible than anyone else,” Poe said. “I feel like it is my job to set an example for the other players, so I try my best to watch what I say and lead by example, even though I don’t sometimes. The hardest part about being a captain is when people don’t listen to you and when you have to quiet the team down. Another good thing is the fact that we have a much easier schedule this year. We don’t play that many private schools or good public schools. That was kind of a bummer, but we’re still hoping to turn out the best possible season. Our record is currently seven and three.”
The girl’s Lacrosse team is working and playing hard and hopefully they will continue to do their best and keep turning out more wins.