Senior midfielder Karen Boronczyk heads up the field in search of a pass during a game against Rochester Institute of Technology on March 21. The women work to maintain their victory streak during their upcoming games against SUNY New Paltz on Saturday April 7 and SUNY Brockport on Monday April 9. (Keith Walters/Director of Multimedia)
The Geneseo women’s lacrosse team continues their undefeated season with a record of 8-0. The women are coming off wins against St. Lawrence University on March 27 and SUNY Oneonta on Saturday March 31.
The Knights defeated St. Lawrence by a score of 9-8 in a game that was a solid test of the team’s focus.
“It was a good opportunity for us to get refocused and make sure we kept all the players on track and thinking about what we want to accomplish as a whole,” head coach Carly Ritchlin said.
The women were down 3-1 early in the game, but they kept their composure and held off their opponent. Senior midfielder Erin Cregan led the way with two goals and two assists.
After a game that was a little too close for comfort, the women came back and defeated Oneonta soundly by a score of 20-9. The Knights were clicking on the offensive end, and four different players scored three goals or more. Freshman forward Hannah Marafioti led all goal scorers with five.
In what was their first conference matchup of the year, the women were able to execute well offensively because of their ability to work as a unit.
“Our offense is working really well together, and we’ve been emphasizing moving the ball quickly and it just worked in that game,” junior midfielder Madeline Lee said.
The team has been performing just as well on the defensive end of the field. Both opponents were held to single digits in the scoring column. The success on each end of the field has been a product of the offensive and defensive units pushing each other to be their best.
“I would say it’s really even. I think our defense pushes our offense really hard in practice and vice versa,” junior goalie Tess McFadden said.
Balance on both sides of the ball and team chemistry has proven to be a winning formula for the Knights. Conference play continues this week as the women have two upcoming games against SUNY New Paltz on Saturday April 7 and SUNY Brockport on Monday April 9. Conference matchups always carry extra weight. The women will continue to prepare for their opponents using the same process they have since day one.
The 8-0 start has certainly been impressive. If the women remain consistent with their play on the field, it would not be a surprise to see them maintain their perfect record after this week’s games. The Knights continue to move up in the national rankings, and are currently ranked at No. 12.
This appears to be a team that will be able to make noise deep into the post season. The women are consistent with their team mantras and seem to have created a winning culture. They approach every game in the same manner, whether their opponents have a winning record or a losing record, and most importantly, they care about each other.
Team chemistry can be hard to come by, but it will be a valuable asset if the women find themselves down late in a game or if they hit a rough patch later in the season. The Geneseo community can continue to expect big things from the Knights.