Despite a powerful second half rally, Geneseo women’s lacrosse was unable to come up with a win in their first conference game against SUNY Oneonta on Saturday April 1.
The final score was 12-9, with Oneonta taking an early lead in conference play. Their most recent game on Tuesday April 4 against SUNY Brockport ended in a 14-4 loss for the Knights.
Both losses came on the road, but the team is committed to the mentality that the results are not always indicative of the actual play. Strong outings do not necessarily equal wins and the team has discovered that this season. Considering there is still a lot of the season left to play, the women’s lacrosse team can still use what they are learning on the field to improve their season’s record.
“We had a really strong second half [against Oneonta]. We just ran out of time and didn’t control the ball as much as we would have liked to,” head coach Carly Ritchlin said.
Ritchlin, however, was happy with the team’s efforts.
“We are headed a step in the right direction because they played really hard and didn’t give up for one second,” Ritchlin said.
This battling through entire games attitude is a standard for Geneseo women’s lacrosse.
One of the team’s biggest aims for the season was to score more goals, and they have accomplished this. In eight games, the Knights have scored 73 goals. There are many players who have been able to score so far and are doing so consistently.
“We’re connecting on offense and our biggest strength right now is that we have multiple threats,” Ritchlin said.
This forces opponents to spread their defenders instead of keeping a few key players at bay for a game and being successful. This is another positive note for the Knights because team morale improves when many players are performing well.
Every player is in a position to score and every player is in a position to help, which reinforces the concept of family and teamwork that has been instilled in the women’s lacrosse program at Geneseo.
Even with some less desirable end results, Ritchlin is still proud of the team’s attitude and composure.
“The team is continually committed to working to get stronger,” Ritchlin said. “Every day we step on the field, they are pushing themselves and they are pushing each other.”
The team’s main focus right now is to work on correcting and improving the small things in a game in the hopes that making proper adjustments now will pay off later.
In preparation for each game, while the team must change their approach depending on the strategies of the opponent, their strategy is always on sharpening their foundational skill and strategy.
The team has to excel at playing their game and perfecting their approach before they can use the scouting reports and other research to change for the other team. The identity of Geneseo lacrosse is essential for the success of the program and is a top priority for both Ritchlin and the athletes.
The Knights will face Ithaca College on Friday April 7 and SUNY New Paltz on Saturday April 8.