The well-known phrase is “the best offense is a good defense,” but typically, the offensive-minded players who can produce points, runs or goals are often the star of the team.
For the St. Bonaventure University women’s lacrosse team, that offense comes from its seniors. The top five scorers, now seven games into the season, are all seniors, led by midfielders LeighAnn Stauffer and Scarlet Jaworski with 13 goals each.
In the Bonnies’ last game against Robert Morris University on March 19, the offense was stifled in the second half, scoring just one goal and leading to a 12-7 loss.
Stauffer said the team wasn’t able to settle in during the second half, which made it difficult to score goals.
“We started to rush our offense and force opportunities that would have presented themselves,” said Stauffer. “I think we panicked a little bit, and as a result, we turned the ball over and could not put the ball in the back of the net.”
Head coach Chelsea Rosiek attributed the low offensive output to pure luck, which she said deflated the team. The Colonials also face-guarded senior midfielder Taylor Fallon, who had a hat trick in the first half, and took her out of the offense.
“I would say about four shots in the second half hit post, which is just an unfortunate centimeter difference. Obviously if it hit post that means it got past the goalie, so they were off by not even inches,” said Rosiek. “They adjusted to our offensive sets, and we really didn’t adjust to theirs. So when it came down to executing what we needed to do in order to find those opportunities like we found in the first half, we started to see the deficit grow, and we started to rush our opportunities.”
Fallon said in order to have an effective offense during the game, there needs to be seven offensive players who can move the ball quickly.
“Imagine splitting the 8-meter in half and moving the ball continuously from one half to the other, shifting the defense. This makes the openings, and then editing passes into the middle for good shots will get you goals,” said Fallon.
Rosiek said the team needs to ensure it is using all the offensive threats they have available on the field in order to create chances.
She said senior midfielder Mary Maestri could have taken a few more shots, and Stauffer and Jaworski were unable to get many shots due to being fouled. She said the offense needs to be used more thoroughly and spread the ball around so more players can get chances on goal.
Rosiek took over the team last January, and since then, she said the Bonnies have been scoring a lot more goals than they had previously. Stauffer called the team more dynamic under Rosiek than it had been before.
“Before she got here, we were very reliant on two or three people to execute a play and put the ball in the back of the net,” said Stauffer. “Now all seven people in the offense are engaged, and we are working together more to score.”
The one danger the Bonnies need to watch out for is the future of the program. With the senior players being so heavily involved in the goal scoring, the team needs to make sure it can continue to produce in years to come.
Both Fallon and Stauffer mentioned sophomore midfielder Rylee Arnold and junior attacker Gabby Bradley as options to spark the offense next season. Bradley is a “feeder” and can find passes and create chances for her teammates, while Arnold is good at driving through the middle and finishing her chances. Fallon also pointed out sophomore attacker Abby Lagoner as the player with one of the best shots on the team.
Rosiek said there are plenty of players on the bench she would be playing if it weren’t for the stellar play of the seniors so far. Some of them logged minutes last season, but seniors were able to work their way back into the lineup after injuries. However, she also pointed out those players can take this season as more of a learning aid, as they are able to watch plays develop from the sidelines instead of being thrown right into the action.
The younger players that are getting game time, such as freshman midfielders Destinee Johnson and Hannah Nagowski, are still getting acclimated to the level of play, but Rosiek expects them to start taking a bigger role as they play more. Rosiek is also bringing in more firepower for the fall with five or six 2021 players that should provide backup on offense.
Bonaventure’s next game is March 31 at 4 p.m. at George Washington.
signorra15@bonaventure.edu
