The girls’ varsity lacrosse team triumphed over Marin Catholic with a score of 14-13 in a high-intensity game at home on March 26. The Giants picked up their sixth win of the season against Marin Catholic, which may be considered the best in the league, after suffering defeats for the past five years.
The team has a 6-5 record as of press time. Although some players consider this to be a “rebuilding year,” the team has fluidly adapted to the changes and is pleased with their successes. With a 2-1 Marin County Athletic League record, the team ranks third, above Marin Catholic.
The season is going much better than anticipated, which has allowed the team to set higher standards for MCALs, according to senior goalie Christine Cook.
“I think most of us are pretty motivated and I think that we have seen that we actually have a lot of potential this year. We are a lot better than what most of us thought, and we have room to grow as well,” junior Lauren Watkins said.
With only nine returning players, many members felt unsure about their upcoming season. A new head varsity coach, new assistants, and the loss of ten seniors has pressed the reformed team to work on building relationships.
“We are fostering a new dynamic,” Cook said. “The thing is, half of the team is new. We are like a new team all over again so we are just working on building relationships between returners and new players.”
While last year’s team was comprised of mostly upperclassmen, this year the team has a wide age range.
“It’s a little weird because there are a lot of newcomers. We have girls who have played for at least three years together. There are a lot of girls who have come up from JV, and a couple freshmen, so I think we are still trying to figure everything out,” Cook said.
One concern for the team is the lack of back-up goalies. With Cook as the only goalie on varsity, there is no margin for injuries.
Nevertheless, communication, good passes, and speed are their strengths, which creates a strong dynamic on the field, according to Watkins.
The team struggles the most with their large size and the different levels among the 26 players. Because it is such a large team, it is difficult for the new and returning players to learn how to play with each other.
“The girls who play club together know each other down to the bone so they know where they want the ball, when they will shoot,” sophomore Bryte Darden said. But for most of the team, they need to learn how to adapt to the other players’ individual techniques and styles.
“Playing club definitely makes some pairs a little better. Emma and Hayden work really well together because they play stick with it and so they have all of these little plays that they do on their own, which is good, but it would be nicer to get the whole team included,” Watkins said.
Applying a different coaching style than highly-praised, former coach Tressa Bronner, new coach Isaac Campbell has the players scrimmage often. Campbell allows the players to talk while passing in the beginning, strengthening the bond between themselves.
Partly because it is Campbell’s first year coaching girls’ lacrosse, team captains Christine Cook, Hayden Dean, and Kendra Loo have taken the lead helping out their teammates, while the returners have taken the responsibility to supplement the captains, according to Watkins.
