Taking lacrosse to the next level

With the Minnesota weather finally starting to cooperate spring sports seasons are starting to be able to get outside and enjoy some (mostly) nice weather.

As of right now, the girls Varsity lacrosse team has three wins under their belt against Delano, Mound and Waconia. Currently, Geneva Berrett is leading in the state for forced turnovers, Caroline Robson is on the leaderboard at #20 for goals scored.

One of our main goals this season is just to be as inclusive as we can. Its more fun when everyone is a part of the team and you aren’t all divided into Varsity, JV, and C-Squad it allows us the ability to create relationships with underclassman and hang out with people we never would have known before now.

— Katherine Gilster

Orono womens lacrosse has had two game games, one against Holy Family and the other against Minnetonka, get rescheduled for later in the season. The team has only been able to play three due to the horrific weather we endured this late spring. As of right now, the girls are 3-3.

“This season we have played harder teams than we have in the past. We started off our season with more difficult games, so our record isn’t great right now but it will ease up a little bit. I think we have had really good team chemistry which is helping us a lot on improving in our weak areas” senior captain Caroline Robson said.

The lacrosse program has also expanded in this past year. Now having a Varsity, Junior Varsity, and a newly included C-Squad. This was to ensure that each player would have a great experience and be able to play a sport that they love or had an interest in.

This season a significant number of girls showed up for tryouts; since lacrosse is such a new sport, the program continues to grow every year. Some of these players had been returning members of OWL and had taken a year off, and others were players who had never tried the sport before and thought it would be a fun experience.

“There are three teams this year and a lot more girls than in the past. It has been really fun because we are able to meet more people. I am also really glad that the girls didn’t get cut and there are more opportunities, and it makes the sport even more welcoming. I feel like it helps with the overall fun and positivity of the sport because everyone knows they will have a spot to play.” Robson said.

The girls have started off their season with a famous Orono tradition; painting the rock. The girls had a team bonding night which consisted of everyone going out for dinner together and then coming back to OHS to paint the rock.

“One of our main goals this season is just to be as inclusive as we can. Its more fun when everyone is a part of the team and you aren’t all divided into Varsity, JV, and C-Squad it allows us the ability to create relationships with underclassman and hang out with people we never would have known before now.” senior captain Katherine Gilster said.

In addition to expanding the program, the coaching staff has been shuffled around and the team has a new varsity coach, Ms. Hannah Dickman.

“I love the new coaching staff, especially our head coach she always finds a way to stay positive and really cares about us as people” senior captain Katie Willander said.

Wishing the best of luck to OWL on the rest of their season as the school year finishes off.