It is no secret that the women’s lacrosse team is off to a hot start. There are many key factors to their success—factors that have put them in position to have the perfect season. Much like the popular SportsCenter segment “By the Numbers,” I decided to compile a list of statistics that the Knights have in their favor going forward this season and deeper into the future.
Head coach Carly Ritchlin explained that this freshman class is one of the biggest classes the Knights have seen since she’s been here. “They have proven to be very coachable,” she said. “They are stepping up and I think, overall, are doing a very solid job at getting accustomed to the college game.”
In addition to the freshman class, the juniors have played a large role. They are going to be in positions of leadership next season. Junior attack Tara Basile has been the go-to player for the Knights, putting up 18 goals and 25 assists so far this season.
Another group not to be overlooked is the senior class. According to Ritchlin, the senior players’ main responsibility is “helping everyone play to the best of their ability.” They have certainly lived up to that.
The average margin of victory for Geneseo this season is 6.2 goals. They have handled their opponents fairly easily. With only two losses this season—one coming at the hands of SUNYAC powerhouse SUNY Cortland and the other in overtime at SUNY Fredonia—the Knights have been able to take care of business on the field to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive.
On top of that, the Knights have scored double-digit goals in all of their wins this season. In order to hoist that SUNYAC trophy in May, they are going to have to keep the goals coming.
In the closing games of the regular season, the Knights will look to get a one or two seed to secure a first round bye in the SUNYAC Tournament. If they get the one seed, they will have the chance to host the entire conference tournament. Geneseo is one game behind Fredonia for the two seed and three games behind Cortland for the one seed.
Possibly the most important factor for the Knights is experience. The team has made the NCAA Tournament each of the past two seasons. They have had great success in postseason play and they will be hoping to make it even further in the “Big Dance.”
That being said, the most important goal for the Knights this season is winning the SUNYAC title. If Geneseo can win the conference tournament, it would be the first championship in program history.
As the team advances through the rest of the season, Geneseo definitely has its work cut out for it. Still, all eyes are set on the SUNYAC Tournament in May.