The Geneseo women’s lacrosse team has a hard time scheduling home games––poor weather and unbearable field conditions often make it difficult to play in Geneseo. Recently, an unidentified group of individuals made that task even harder by using the game field for recreational purposes.
Because of the damage to the field, the Knights had to postpone their game against Buffalo State College originally scheduled for Tuesday March 31. There are signs all over the field that warn non-student athletes to remain off of the fields, and even offer another area where they can partake in activities.
“The damage on the field is reflective of a group or groups of unauthorized individuals utilizing the field under sub-optimal conditions. Moving forward, we will work with Facilities Services to repair the damage and provide our women’s lacrosse team with a suitable venue for practice and competition,” head athletic director Michael Mooney said in an email. “We encourage students who are looking for outdoor recreational space on campus to utilize Letchworth field.”
With spring upon us, all Geneseo sports have taken a hit because of unpredictable weather. The teams often have to practice in the gyms, which isn’t ideal. When it comes time to play outside, they are not ready to play on grass or turf. Despite all these negatives looming over the season, women’s lacrosse head coach Carly Ritchlin has remained positive that when it’s time for competition, her team will be ready to go.
“No matter the weather or field conditions, our players are incredibly resilient and we will face the challenge head-on,” Ritchlin said. “We are working every day to put ourselves in a position to once again make the NCAA Tournament and we hope that the members of the campus community can support us in those efforts.”
The Knights are still 5-0 after completing a perfect non-conference schedule. They have only had one close game decided by one goal; the next closest win was by eight goals. With such little time in between the season’s start and the end of the semester, there is truly a rush to get games in before finals and—for the seniors—graduation. Ritchlin noted that this is nothing that the Knights cannot handle.
“Last year was a very tough spring, but we still had one of the most successful seasons in program history. It is my expectation that this season will be no different,” Ritchlin said. “We are still working to achieve excellence. I give a lot of credit to my players. I feel very fortunate to be their coach.”
Hopefully, the staff can get the field back to playing conditions and Geneseo can continue its season and pursue its goals of getting back to the NCAA Tournament. The Knights will face defending SUNYAC champion SUNY Cortland on Saturday April 4 at 12:30 p.m. at Cortland.