Women’s Lacrosse Falls Short After First Win of Season

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Author: Gil Alcaraz

Oxy’s inaugural varsity women’s lacrosse season is off to a rocky start. However, despite coming away with only a single victory thus far, the Lady Tigers have put up quite a fight and have proven that even in their first season as a varsity sport, they are determined to make their opposition work for every inch of turf they gain.

Oxy notched its first win in its fourth game as an NCAA sanctioned team on March 13 against the Carthage College Lady Reds. It was not only their first win, but a commanding win at that. The team came away with a 17-7 victory, handing the Lady Reds their fourth straight loss.

However, since that game, Oxy has been unable to acquire another win. With four games left in the season, the Tigers currently hold a 0-5 conference record and a 1-10 overall record. Despite this, they have garnered respect from SCIAC opponents, Head Coach Michele Uhlfelder said.

Although the team’s previous two conference games have been struggles, players continue to show improvement in their abilities to both score and defend.

On April 3, Oxy hosted the Bulldogs of the University of Redlands in a rematch of the season opener, in which the Lady Tigers were smothered in an 18-3 loss. Determined to not let that disappointing inaugural game get the best of them, the team came to the field with urgency and tenacity. Despite a disheartening 7-1 run by the Bulldogs at the start of the game, the Lady Tigers displayed their diligence, bringing the score to 7-11 with the Bulldogs still ahead at half time. When the second half started, Oxy still had the momentum in its favor, closing the gap to within one point.

At this point, Redlands’ superior experience shined, as they put in seven straight goals and built an insurmountable lead. Even with a late comeback attempt, the Lady Tigers fell short by a score of 15-21. Although the team lost, it nevertheless displayed how much it improved since the beginning of the season by putting up a solid fight against a team that previously demolished it. The Oxy attack was led by Isabel Osgood-Roach (first-year), who chipped in eight goals.

This past Saturday, Oxy traveled to Claremont to face the Athenas of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS), who currently lead the conference. Despite Oxy’s enthusiasm, the Athenas were far too much to handle, and the difference in experience between the two teams was quite apparent.

CMS jumped out to an early 1-0 lead within the first minute of the game, but that was soon answered by an Oxy goal courtesy of Osgood-Roach. Unfortunately, the game went downhill from there. After Osgood-Roach’s score, the Athenas went on a ten goal run, bringing the score to 11-1.

Shannon Docherty (senior) tried to reignite the Oxy offense with a goal of her own as the first half came to a close, but the Athenas’ lead only got larger once the second half began. CMS ran off eight straight goals spanning both halves as the Lady Tigers struggled to keep the Athenas away from their net. Despite one final goal by Docherty, the women came away with a disheartening loss, 23-3.

“[Our girls] battle and fight, getting stronger as the game goes on. Our tact has become more polished and we have been composed and competitive. However, we want to start the game with the same intensity that we have when it ends,” said Uhlfelder.

Even with the constant struggles, there have been some outstanding players who have shone bright for the Lady Tigers. Sarah Kessler (first-year) has led the way offensively for the team so far, totaling 35 goals and four assists on the season. Other outstanding contributors on offense include Osgood-Roach, Docherty, Lauren Wemple (first-year) and Annie Wolfstone (sophomore). Despite a season full of struggle, goal keeper Charla Holdren (sophomore) has also held her own while guarding the Oxy net.

“[This season has] been really exciting . . . I know our record doesn’t exactly show that we’ve made progress, but we’re playing much more as a unit, and I think we’re all learning to trust ourselves more as players,” said defender Jane Klann (sophomore).

When asked about the future of the team, Uhlfelder was optimistic. “We are building on an amazing base that has seen exponential growth throughout the year. In the future, we will have a young but experienced group that has some promising ‘future Tigers.’ I think the future is really bright,” she said.

Their next game will be today against the Poets of Whittier College at 7 p.m. at Whittier’s home field. This will be their final away game of the season.

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