Posted: 03/28/07

Women's lacrosse falls to Stonehill College after Florida trip
21-6 loss to top-ranked Stonehill College

Meredith Falzone | contributing writer
mfalzone@smcvt.edu

After returning from Florida, the team has resumed practice on the turf. ( Meredith Falzone, photo )

The St. Michael’s women’s lacrosse players packed their suitcases with shorts and sunglasses to kick off their season in West Palm Beach, Fla. This was the second year the team competed in the Spring Fling Tournament which sees teams from all three collegiate divisions. Shortly after coming back from their weeklong trip, the girls suffered their first loss in their NE-10 opener against top-ranked Stonehill College.

Stiff competition

“We knew what to expect,” head coach Carla Hesler says in regards to the 21-6 loss against Stonehill. “We have seen them enough in the past.”

Although the girls were aware of Stonehill's abilities, “they were half a step behind,” Hesler says. “And Stonehill always capitalized.”

“Our warm up was great,” she says. “We were fired up and ready to dominate.”

The loss was a tough way to start the season, but Hesler says there were things that the team learned from the game.

“We need to defend people cutting in front of the net better,” she says. “We need to be more physical.”

Rizzotti agrees that the team needs to play smarter defense.

“We let them take easy shots,” she says. “We never made them work for it.”

Junior assistant captain Amanda Soule and sophomore Amanda Pelley each netted a pair of goals, while senior returning captain Megan Lagasse and junior Brynne Curran received single tallies.

Although Stonehill is a top-ranked team, the score did not reflect St. Michael's efforts, Rizzotti says.

“We had speed over them,” she says. “We didn’t use it or give ourselves a chance to.”

Florida trip

In Florida, several different players were able to score goals. ( Meredith Falzone, photo)

In Florida, the girls played three scrimmages to warm up for their first game of the season against Skidmore. The team pulled away with a 13-12 win, with first-year Kayla Sibilia scoring her first collegiate goal of the season and earning her co-freshmen of the week for the NE-10. The 13 goals came from all over the roster including three from Soule and two a piece from Rizzotti, Pelley and Lagasse.

“We had never played a full game together before,” Rizzotti says. “We had a lot to learn.”

Hesler says the competition in Florida was better then last year's, and Skidmore was a big win for their first game.

Following Skidmore, the girls had three days of practice time before they played their next game against C.W. Post. Those three days gave the girls time to work together which made them look more confident in the C.W. Post game, Hesler says.

After reorganizing their strategies, the girls met top ranked C.W. Post on March 17, for what would be one of their toughest games of the season, Lagasse says. The team lost 13-2 overall with goals from Curran, Pelley and sophomore Kim Berlo. Junior goaltender Courtney Wakem had nine saves between the posts.

“We were much more confident in ourselves and in each other,” Rizzotti says. “It was a chance to actually work together.”

Along with working together, the game was much more controlled, junior Christine Driscoll says.

“It was an all around better game despite the loss," she says.

The week-long stay in Florida ended on Saturday with a 10-9 loss against East Stroudsburg University, sending the girls home with a 1-2 record overall. Senior captain Megan Rule led the team with three goals followed by Lagasse with two.

Overall the experience in Florida was a positive one, Lagasse says.

“It exposed us to different ways of play against harder teams,” she says.

Rizzotti says it is always important to get a chance to play outside before the season starts.

“You can’t exactly do that in Vermont with two feet of snow on the ground,” she says. 

Looking ahead

Lagasse says confidence is crucial to the team's success. ( Meredith Falzone, photo)

After just one week in Florida, the team already has high hopes for the season because of quick development, Driscoll says.

“We are already used to how each other plays, and that gives us much more confidence," she says.

With such a young team, confidence is a huge part of the game plan, Lagasse says.

“It will come with time and playing together,” Lagasse says. “Everyone is very encouraging”

The team's confidence is largely attributed to the depth of the bench, Rizzotti says.

“They are eager, talented and versatile," she says.

Hesler agrees that the team needs to gain confidence and says this begins with intense practice. She says confidence is the base of the technical and mental aspects of the game.

“If we play intense against each other we will build trust in people’s performances,” Hesler says. “With that comes confidence.”

This year, Lagasse says “anyone can score.” After graduating the team’s top scorer, Kristen Palazzo, the goal scoring has been spread out amongst the younger players.

Rizzotti says the younger players have stepped up, scoring important goals.

“Our mind set is different this year,” she says. “We are looking to win as a team, not individually.”

The team’s biggest goal is to start each game strong and finish strong all the way through Driscoll says.

“We don’t want to fall into the habit of being a second half team.”