The Geneseo women’s lacrosse team is off to a 2-1 start in SUNYAC play. After defeating SUNY New Paltz 12-6, SUNY Cortland defeated the Knights 17-7. This was Geneseo’s first loss of the season after a hot start—winning six straight games. The Knights then beat SUNY Oswego 12-6 on Tuesday April 7. But as junior defender Bridget Lincoln said, the loss to Cortland was a minor speed bump in the grand scheme of things. “They are a really good team, so it’s not really rebounding from the loss but rather fixing what we already do well to get a better result next time,” Lincoln said. “If we can correct mistakes and handle what we can control, then we can move on and get to a better place in the conference.”
The Knights only dropped one spot in the national rankings—they’re now 18th. They have seven games left before the SUNYAC Tournament. The Knights have made it to the conference championship the past two years, but lost to Cortland in the finals both times. This year’s team, however, has a different camaraderie, something that Lincoln attributes to their successes.
“We all get along so well and we have great chemistry on and off the field,” Lincoln said. “We are able to work hard together and we all want the same thing so it makes practices and games a lot easier.”
Of the Knights’ five remaining SUNYAC games, four are against unranked opponents. This should allow Geneseo to get some major work in before the team has to potentially face Cortland again. The Knights are also looking to reaching the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive year. Although the end goal is to get as far as possible, Lincoln and the rest of the Geneseo team have the mentality of “one game at a time.”
“If we look ahead to the end of the season, we would be getting ahead of ourselves and lose focus. Instead, we like to only take the game in front of us and that opponent, because that is what will get us to postseason play,” Lincoln said. “Our most important game is the next game and that has been our motto since the first day of practice.”
As with any team, coaching is a big part of the team’s success. Head coach Carly Ritchlin has given the women keys to succeed and the players have recognized her efforts—her will to win rubs off on the team.
“She is great, she is honestly one of the best coaches I have had. She knows how to get us all to work together and always prepares us for our next game very well,” Lincoln said. “She pushes us to work hard and, if you saw the amount of effort she puts into each practice and game, you would want to match that intensity and match it to put your best effort out there every time you step on the field.”
The Knights will face Buffalo State at Webster Schroeder High School on Thursday April 9.