2008 Woodie Awards
New coach, young team, big season for Women's Lacrosse
Issue date: 2/25/05 Section: Sports
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"Then you sprint two sides, jog two. Sprint three, jog one. The last time around you sprint all four sides."
"If you don't run hard, you'll do it again, starting with four sprints and winding down from there. If you do run hard, we'll finish the second half on another day.
With that, the women's lacrosse team took off, running down the field like there was a prize waiting for them at the other end.
"We're working so hard because we realize that with such a small team, we don't have many subs," said junior captain Moira Foley. "Once we get on the field we need to be in excellent shape or we'll get run over."
"Small" is a bit of an understatement. In a sport where 12 players take the field, Guilford's roster includes just 14.
To make matters worse, of those 14, there are only five returning players, compared to eight first-years.
Head coach Matt Grosso is aware of his team's two most glaring weaknesses.
"Depth is an obvious problem, as is experience," Grosso said. "We play in the ODAC (Old Dominion Athletic Conference) which is a really tough lacrosse conference. These girls haven't seen a lot of what they will see this upcoming year."
"We're real young," said first-year defender Jennifer Maynard. "I have never played collegiate lacrosse before. I don't know what to expect, and I'm in the same situation as seven other girls."
However, Grosso is able to see the good with the bad. "With this team in particular, our first-year players are extremely talented," he said. "Nobody knows anything about these kids. Other teams won't know these girls. They won't know any of their strengths or weaknesses."
Guilford brought in Grosso to resurrect a team that has struggled recently. The past five years have seen just 13 wins compared to 62 losses. Only five of the team's 22 seasons have ended in a winning record.
The new coach brings a winning resume that includes four years coaching high school, eight years coaching at the college level, and ten years as a referee. In 1999, he received the Atlantic Women's Colleges Conference Coach of the Year Award for his efforts at Trinity College in Washington DC.
"He is exactly what Guilford needed," said junior captain Katie Gilligan. "He has this essence of professionalism about him. He is trying to start something new and amazing."
Grosso plans to focus on fundamental skills such as catching and throwing and on conditioning. Aside from that, he wants to implement simple schemes that give his players flexibility to make plays.
"I can't control everything," said Grosso. "If I can give them some tools and some ideas on how to handle different situations, then we can get into the game and execute."
While the personnel and the system have both changed from last year, the biggest difference on this team is chemistry.
"Last year, we never really had chemistry," said Gilligan. "There was always a division between classes and it really showed on the field."
This year is a different story.
"These girls have a good time hanging out together on and off the field," said Grosso. "Like any good team, they get a little intense on the field. They are really good about leaving it on the field. Off the field they hang out together."
Good team chemistry is vital when it comes to anticipating how teammates react and move without the ball, a crucial skill in lacrosse.
The ability to play together will translate into several big wins for the Quakers, so long as the young players adapt quickly and the team remains injury free.
"People aren't going to expect a lot out of Guilford this year," said Grosso. "They will focus on the size of the team and how young we are. We will really catch some people off guard."
The had their first chance to do so Feb. 23 when they hosted cross-town rival Greensboro College. The Quakers won this initial battle, with a third-overtime final score of 11-10.
The Quakers' next game will be a home contest versus non-conference Averett, on Feb. 26, at Armfield Athletic Center. The game will begin at 1:00 p.m.
