Senior forward Kathleen Depillo leads her team in a drill during the women’s practice. The Knights had a successful game against Buffalo State College, beating them 12-11, and they look to maintain this momentum during their upcoming game against SUNY Cortland on Saturday April 15. (Ash Dean/Photo Editor)
Women’s lacrosse returned from their weekend road trip, once again with one win and one loss.
The Knights lost to No. 12 Ithaca College on Friday April 7. Even with a final score of 8-4, the Knights played well against a difficult team. At the half, the statistics and the score were even. Ultimately, the Knights could not overtake Ithaca, but they were happy with their efforts.
This translated into a successful game at SUNY New Paltz on Saturday April 8, where Geneseo earned a well-deserved 16-5 victory. Although the team has had a bit of trouble keeping a consistent winning streak, it seems that momentum has shifted in their favor due to their experiences on the field and their challenging work.
The positive momentum was seen in the Knight’s latest game. They defeated Buffalo State University 12-11 on Tuesday April 11 on their home field. The team played a strong game and their efforts paid off. This young team and they are starting to find their way around the field playing together. This bodes well for the upcoming games this season.
“They are fighters and want to win—they understand that we haven’t been playing to our potential on a consistent basis and want more for each other and themselves,” head coach Carly Ritchlin said in an email interview. “We have been working hard, we are focused and we will continue to push each other to be the best we can be.”
This “all in” attitude is evident in the level of rigor that the team brings both to practice and to games. Putting in 100 percent of effort every time the athletes step on the field is part of that unique definition of Geneseo women’s lacrosse and the lofty standards they hold themselves to.
The team is also special in that they really try to bond off the field as well, which helps their performance.
“We have team dinners before games all the time and I feel like I get to know my teammates so much more,” junior captain midfielder Karen Boronczyk said. “We are a family and I feel blessed to be a part of it.”
Boronczyk also gave insight into what Geneseo women’s lacrosse means to her and the culture that she is a part of.
“Geneseo women’s lacrosse means I get to be a part of something that is so much bigger than myself. I get to work with amazing athletes and coaches who all share the same goal of going to NCAAs,” Boronczyk said. “It’s an opportunity for me to pursue something I’m passionate about with my closest friends.”
Looking ahead, the team knows that each game is important, especially because they will only be playing conference rivals for the rest of the season. Every game becomes a “must-win” situation.
“We are going to work really hard to prepare ourselves both mentally and physically,” Ritchlin said. “We are a very strong and talented team that understands the fact that we need to earn every single win. We need to out-work, out play, out-smart every team that meets us on the field.”
This commitment was matched by Boronczyk.
“All in all, we’ve had up’s and down’s, but we work through them together and in the end, we continuously improve our game,” she said. “We always work to get better, every day.”
The team plays on Saturday April 15 at SUNY Cortland and then returns for a home game Tuesday April 18 against SUNY Oswego.