By working hard during practice to improve their skills, the girls’ lacrosse team aims to see more positive results in their games, as well as strengthen their relationships with teammates.
According to head coach Karli Gilbert, she has already seen development from last season.
“A big difference between last year and this year is that if we get down, we fight back,” Gilbert said.
Gilbert believes that the team is doing well this season, and her goal is for the team to make it to districts.
“There is a lot more energy this season,” Gilbert said, “and more cohesiveness.”
Similarly, senior team captain Anah Petrovich recognizes the team’s potential and knows that improvements have been made.
“I think last year we were really new and didn’t really take it seriously,” Petrovich said, “but this year we’ve grown a lot and we’ve started to do better in our games.”
Like Gilbert, Petrovich wishes for the team to make districts this year and believes it is possible if they continue to work hard, keep up their intensity and support each other.
Additionally, Petrovich feels that as a captain, she helps hold the team accountable by knowing when it is okay to joke around and when they must focus on being competitive during practices and games.
Petrovich also tries to show up to practice “happy and ready to work,” recognizing that being a positive influence will help the team’s morale, as well as their willingness to work hard.
For junior Tori Puente, she believes that the team does a great job at keeping a “family-like atmosphere” while still being able to concentrate on trying their best in games.
“I think that our hustle and our heart is really strong this year,” Puente said. “After a difficult situation in a game, we all come together and we focus on what we can do better.”
The skill of being able to move on from mistakes is something that Puente feels the team has learned to achieve.
“We are all very dedicated to learning from our mistakes,” Puente said.
According to senior Nicole Kleckner, the team is at its best when players are “comforting and hyping each other up after something happens,” Kleckner said.
“Even on the field, you can hear our teammates and coaches cheering on the sideline after a good play.”
Through this support, Kleckner feels that the team is more confident with the fact that their other teammates and coaches have their backs.
“It’s very welcoming,” Kleckner said, “I think everyone has gotten very close recently.”