The year 2014 was a powerhouse season for Keene State College’s Women’s Lacrosse team.
The team finished the regular season 13-5 (.722) overall, and 6-0 in the Little East Conference. KSC fell to Plymouth State University (PSU) in the LEC Championship game last season.
However, the team is looking to get back there again this season.
Kyle Bailey / File Photo
“We are working on rebuilding with a strong, young team and getting back to the LEC Championship again this season,” second-year defenseman Amanda Makar said.
With a young team and a total of nine members of the squad being first-years, the Owls are working hard to get the new members meshing with the entire team.
“This season will differ from last season because we have such a young team. We lost a bunch of starting seniors from the previous graduating class, but I am excited to see how different the game pace changes with such a new group of girls,” KSC Senior Christa DeMovellan said.
The team that looks like it will give the Owls the biggest run for their money will be PSU. University of Southern Maine is also an in-conference rival for KSC.
Coach Katie Arsenault gives her team some advice during the long season.
“Some advice that our coach, [Katie Arsenault], gives to us is to always stay in the game mentally, remain patient, and always hustle one-hundred-and-twenty percent. We work very diligently during practices on staying focused and disciplined. She always tells us to keep our heads in the game and that there is always someone next to you on the field to help you out,” DeMovellan said. Preparing for the season was not as easy this off-season and was different than years’ past due to the harsh winter.
“Our off-season this year especially has been quite different. We participated in the fall ball tournament in October, which always aids the team because it gives us experience and see how everyone works with each other . . . This winter has been a tough one because of all the snow and ice diminishing our turf time to practice full field drills, workouts and transitions,” DeMovellan said.
KSC has not started off any of its lacrosse seasons with a loss. This was a drawback for this season already.
“Keene has never started a season not winning, so I think it was a shock for us all. But every game we’ve had so much improvement, so I don’t have a doubt in my mind that we can’t reach a place that we want to be at,” Polly Grey, senior, said.
KSC fell to Massachusetts Institute of Technology in its first game of the season with a score of 12-9.
“We are trying as hard as we can, if we are giving it our all, everything will fall into place,” Makar said.
Mary Curtin can be contacted at mcurtin@kscequinox.com