Abby Hill '11 cradles the ball against Bowdoin in a match from last season. Photo by John Narewski.
With the lights up and the turf cleared of snow, the women’s lacrosse team is on the field, eager to kick off the 2011 season.
With tryouts just wrapping up, the battle is already in full swing among team members. No places on the squad were guaranteed, so both freshmen and returning athletes had to work hard to earn a jersey.
“The hope is that they take that as a challenge, that it encourages them to work really hard in the offseason and fight for it,” said head coach Heather McClelland. “It’s a battle everyday and it’s fun.”
Captains Grace McGaffin ’12 and Kaitlyn Driscoll ’12 cited Coach McClelland’s philosophy on tryouts as an effective motivator when the relentless Connecticut winters relegate them to the Athletic Center.
“The upperclassmen work just as hard as they did coming in as freshmen to make sure they’re going to make an impact on the first day of tryouts,” said McGaffin. “It keeps everyone working hard and in the right mindset.”
There is also a considerable number of winter sport athletes trying out, most of whom will be making the painful transition from quadriceps to hamstrings as they go from maneuvering on the ice in Dayton Arena to sprinting on the lacrosse field.
A successful season requires a team to stay unified, even when they are not on the field. “Creating that team chemistry in the offseason is really important; everything they do beforehand makes all the difference in how we start off the year,” said McClelland. After the final cuts are made, the end product is a solid roster of tenacious and dedicated players eager to start pushing towards the NESCAC Tournament.
With only two senior players, the team is still young, but the completed roster reveals a team building a talented base, with numerous underclassmen who will contribute to the team.
“We’re trying to get better and better within the NESCAC, so we always have to bring new talent in that is going to help us improve,” McClellan said. “The freshman recruited class is probably one of the tightest classes in terms of their dynamic and their energy.”
Seven of the Camels’ past opponents are ranked in the top twenty of Division III, so improvement within the NESCAC rankings is no easy feat. Women’s lacrosse is fiercely competitive within the conference, and no game is a guaranteed win. For example, the Middlebury Panthers used to dominate the field five years ago, but other schools have since risen up to the challenge and consistently beaten them.
The Camels and two other schools in the NESCAC are ranked in the top thirty-five and have made small strides in the past couple of years, beating top teams like Williams and Tufts.
A memorable highlight from last season was the impressive come-from-behind win against Bates. “That was one of those games that always comes back as the defining game for our team,” said McClelland. “It showed our players what we’re capable of, that even if we’re in a hole we can always fight out of it.”
In that game, Bates had come out aggressively and the Camels did not respond well in the first half. Conn was down 10-2 by halftime. At that point, the team rallied together and decided not bow down to their opponent; the Camels came back in the final twenty-five minutes of the game, tying it up while holding Bates scoreless the entire half, and then winning in double overtime.
“The intensity was so high during that game,” said Driscoll. “I think that just proved to us that we have what it takes to make it to the playoffs and really make a name for ourselves.”
The team has made steady improvements and will draw upon experiences like the win against Bates as they strive to have more consistent success this season. “The team that we have today is so much stronger,” said McClelland. “The dynamic now is the best that I’ve ever seen.” This unity is a testament to both the returning players that guide the underclassmen, and the team’s hard work in the offseason.
With the 2011 season now underway, McClelland appeared confident in the team’s potential and emphasized camaraderie as the underlying force behind every game they play. “Overall, we’re looking for a good experience. That means getting better, getting stronger, having pride in the way we play and being a supportive group to each other.”•
