A team is always looking to finish its season strong. The Geneseo women’s lacrosse team’s season could not have ended any stronger. The Knights capped off an excellent regular season with their most dominant win of the year: 18-3 against SUNY New Paltz.
This was the Knights’ ninth straight win as they finished the regular season with a record of 15-1, one of the best seasons in Geneseo women’s lacrosse history.
Head coach Carly Ritchlin showed her excitement about the team’s season.
“I couldn’t be more proud of the team and what they have accomplished,” she said. “Hands-down, best regular season finish given our strength of schedule and the competition we faced. We had a few close games, and I kept saying throughout the year, ‘great teams find a way to win,’” she added.
Because of the Knights’ success this season, they will have a bye in the first round of the SUNYAC playoffs and will face SUNY Fredonia in the semifinals. In their previous matchup, the Knights squeaked out a 9-8 victory. Ritchlin expects another win this time around.
“We have really improved on our shooting and our defense is playing extremely well together; I think we have a solid game plan,” she said. “The first time we played [Fredonia], we had only two practices prior outside on a full field. Now we have more game experience and have been able to practice outside on a field.”
Getting past Fredonia is just the first step, but the Knights are no strangers to the conference finals.
Last year, Geneseo found itself in the SUNYAC final against SUNY Cortland. The two teams are the top-ranked schools in the tournament and another championship matchup could be in the future. This time, the Knights will be looking for revenge against the only team that has beaten them this season.
“We are prepared for SUNYACs,” Ritchlin said. “We have played a lot of really tough games, and we have been challenged by teams in many different ways. So it is all about putting it all together. We are playing with confidence, we have incredible leadership, and we are a very talented team that plays together,” she added.
The Knights face Fredonia at 3 p.m. on Friday May 2 in Cortland.