By Erin Izydorczak
Contributing Writer
Mark Twain once said that “it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog,” and this exemplifies the St. Bonaventure lacrosse team early on this year, according to Head Coach Ryan Lynn.
The team, led by senior captains Sara Schlagenhauf, and Lily Timlin, is ready for yet another season.
The team’s roster of sixteen girls is small and young. About half the team is made of freshmen, and it has just seven returning players.
Despite their youth, the girls are willing to step up their game for the team, even with a small number of subs, and ready to come together for the 2014 season, according to Lynn.
Over spring break, the team went to Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex and played their first two games of the season. The team lost to Florida Southern in their season opener 17-7.
Sophomore attacker Mikayla Place and sophomore midfielder LeighAnn Stauffer each managed to score twice for the team, while senior midfielder Lily Timlin, freshman attacker Gabrielle Bradley, and freshman midfielder Scarlet Jaworski each added a goal. The goalkeeper, senior Sara Schlagenhauf made 11 saves.
The other game was a close and well-played game, Lynn said. The girls lost 8-7 against Rollins.
One player who had a great performance and surprised the coach was freshman midfielder Taylor Fallon. Lynn said she has been playing exceptionally well.
“Taylor Fallon has been stepping up in the midfield position, and taking the draws and showing the team that she is a game day player,” Lynn said.
Fallon scored three goals in the game while her teammates, freshman attacker Maddison Appel scored two goals and Place and freshman attacker Erica Knaub each scored one.
Furthermore, Schlagenhauf had another solid game, posting eight saves to keep the team in the game.
Coach Lynn said he was also very impressed with the team’s overall effort in the game against Rollins. He said they came together and worked hard, which is the kind of mindset they need with such a small team this year.
The team was able to gain positive insights about how to come together and about what their strengths are on the field, Lynn said
According to Lynn, one of the key strategies for being such a small team is playing smart while working hard. The team is learning how to control the possession time and how to transition to a bigger field size.
Lynn said the hardest part about starting the season is that the team has been only practicing 7-on-7 in the gym up to this point.
However with two games under their belt, they now know what to expect for the season to come, he added.
The next game is this Saturday at Binghamton. Lynn said he’s looking forward to a close-matched game and an opportunity to post the team’s first win of the year.
“The game will be a good challenge, and it will be a good matchup with our offense to Binghamton’s defense,” Lynn said. “The team just needs to come out firing shots right away and being smart with their shots and possession.”
izydorem13@bonaventure.edu
