With a new coach as well as a young program this season, the girls lacrosse team is growing together as they adapt to the new dynamic.
With the girls lacrosse season in full swing, the team works to “turn a new leaf” after a bit of a “rough start” according to head coach Alicia Stratten.
“The girls have fought hard every single game so far this season,” Stratten said. “We’ve lost a few games just by one goal and finally now we were able to put in two solid halves to come out with a win.”
This is partially due to the team having less upperclassmen on it than in previous years.
“There were eight varsity starters who graduated last year,” senior captain Rachel Schewe said. “A lot of our starters [this year] are sophomores and juniors so there are a lot of younger players.”
According to senior captain Angela Borisow, she expected there to be a learning curve this season.
“Since we have a younger team, we knew we had a lot of work to do this season,” Borisow said.
Though the season has been hard, both Stratten and the team view this year as a time to develop.
“The team is really young so it’s definitely a growth year,” Schewe said. “It’s definitely tough getting to know how to play with each other especially when there’s a new coach, new plays and new team values.”
Knowing that each group learns and works differently, Stratten and the team have made adjustments in this new season.
“The girls are all learning how to work well together,” Stratten said. “They are learning how to work off my coaching style as well as creating a connection together on the field with each other.”
Stratten hopes to take their experiences from this year and build on what they learned for later seasons.
“I think after we get this season under our belt we will definitely be far more successful,” Stratten said.
The team wasn’t sure what to expect from their new coach.
“I didn’t know what it was going to be like having a new coach, but the first time I met her I knew she was going to be fun because she was so joyous,” Borisow said.
Stratten has found her first season coaching the team to be “exciting” and
“The girls have been absolutely great and very welcoming and very eager to learn,” Stratten said.
According to Schewe, while Stratten is new, it is clear that she puts the players first.
“It’s really evident that [Stratten] cares about all the players,” Schewe said. “She implemented something where there’s snacks after every game because she wants everyone to fuel up and make sure they are staying healthy.”
Although there were big changes this season, they didn’t affect the overall team dynamic, according to Borisow.
“The team dynamic is very positive,” Borisow said. “We always come to practice ready to learn new skills and everyone plays the sport to have fun so there is always laughter and jokes at practice.”