TEAM CRADLES SUCCESSFUL SEASON
By CATHERINE PORTER
Light radiates from above and those watching huddle under blankets as the varsity girls lacrosse team faces a rough battle against University High School in the last quarter. With one player injured and the clock running out, the girls took a slim lead, ending 14-13.
“[The difference between past seasons and this season] is our talent—our players’ skill has gotten worlds better,” senior co-captain Carolina Garcia said. “I’m really proud of us; we’re beating teams we haven’t expected to beat.”
With new coach Christina Marvin and a 6-2 record thus far, the girls are approaching their season with a new mentality. They have only lost to their two toughest opponents, Bishop Moore 15-14, and Lake Highland 7-17.
“Instead of walking, we run and we’re more serious at practice. We have more plays this year and our transitions have gotten a lot better. We have more confidence in each other; more people have been stepping up,” goalie Elizabeth Miller, sophomore, said.
Marvin, who coached the girls along with Oviedo High School during fall ball, stresses conditioning as one of the main ways to improve performance.
“I push them really hard; I push them to their limits. I try to lead by example–I actually play in practice with them. If I can’t physically do it, then I can’t expect them to do it,” Marvin said.
Returning from a season with a 4-7 record, the team has seen improvement in offense, defense and player performance. Shannan Edwards, a co-captain and attacker, is currently speaking to Presbyterian College, University of Detroit-Mercy and University of Notre Dame concerning a scholarship for lacrosse.
“I’ve worked really hard and so far it’s paid off. I’ve had to give up a lot of things to play in college,” Edwards said. “It was kind of overwhelming [when I first got contacted about a scholarship]; I didn’t think that I was on that level you see on TV. I thought, ‘Oh that’ll never be me’.”
During the last quarter of the game against University, Edwards sustained her fifth concussion. Although it has
not affected her performance, injuries are a constant threat to athletic scholarships.
“When it first happened, I blacked out for a couple seconds. Everything was blurry and my head was throbbing. It kind of upset me because I couldn’t go back in.
It was a flagrant move and completely intentional, so it shouldn’t have happened. It was a minor concussion though, so I’m not worried,” Edwards said.
There are three games left before districts, the toughest game of which will be against Winter Park. In districts, the girls will face either Lake Highland or Bishop Moore once again.
“[Districts are] going to be tough. We’re having practices over spring break [in order to prepare],” Edwards said. “We can beat them, I know we can. We just have to work hard and stay focused.”