Croke doesn’t choke: Women’s LaX starts season strong
Gabriela Gondolfe
She/Her
SGA Senior Class President
3/28/23
This season the Panthers have started off strong with a 4-3 record. The season opener was against the University of New England in Maine Nor’easters. The Panthers secured a 15-9 win against the UNE on March 1st, their first non-conference triumph. Plymouth State Alumni Becky Dale got her first victory in her head coaching debut. “With a new coach, discomfort, and change was inevitable, I think we all were a little unsure of what this season would bring”, said Senior Captain Julia Mahoney, “We quickly adapted to Coach Becky’s new tactics and coaching style, taking in lots of new information and putting it to use on the field. Most teams with a new coach struggle to connect and see that first year as a building year. But Coach Becky came in hot and ready to go, holding us to that same standard and throwing the idea of a building year out the window”.
This is an exciting year for the women’s lacrosse team because, for the first time, they are able to play nationally ranked teams that they previously did not get the chance to compete with. They have exceeded expectations and have come on top in a few close games, proving their ability to persevere and attain their end goal. This team is full of strong lines that constantly put up numbers on the field. In their most recent match against Framingham State, Seniors Emily Santom and Olivia Croke scored four goals each, rallying PSU for a third-quarter deficit to top the Rams, 16-13.
This team has faced some losses so far this season but they take these lessons and it motivates them to do better. In their most recent loss against highly ranked Bowdoin College, The Polar Bears won the opening draw and raced down the field for an early lead. Bowdoin pushed the margin to 5-0 by the end of the first, but PSU’s defense settled in during the second period, limiting the high-scoring Bowdoin offense to just two goals. Plymouth State broke through with a pair of goals in the third quarter, but the deficit was too large to overcome.
Although they lost this game senior captain Olivia Croke reached a milestone gaining her 100th point here on the Panther Field. “It honestly felt like any normal game for me. I didn’t even know I was going into this game with 99 points until one of my teammates told me. It was really nice having all my teammates there to support me and congratulate me because, without my teammates and my coaches, I wouldn’t have been able to do it”. Croke says about this amazing accomplishment.
Last year the Panthers suffered a very big loss to Western Connecticut in the Little East Conference Championship, and that has been their motivation for this season. Some of this team’s biggest strengths include how they are so coachable. Whenever they learn something new it is translated the next day in practice or on the field. This team is constantly improving and the results are in the statistics. The Panthers have an exciting schedule over the next few weeks so if you can make it to a game definitely go!
The next matchup is this Saturday against UMass Dartmouth here at home at 1pm!!