Women's LAX has strong start

As the snow begins to melt and the days get warmer, Norwich's spring athletic season starts to bloom.

One of the teams anticipating a home game is the NU women's lacrosse team.

"I think it's kind of discouraging because we want all our fans at our games and we've been on the road going on five games and it gets old. We just want to be able to play on our home field and our fans to be there," said Kellie "Nicki" Pickel, a 22-year-old senior nursing major from Montpelier, Vt.  

Though women's lacrosse has not been able to host a game this season, it has not stopped their success. The Cadets are 5-0 in their conference play and continue to work hard every day in practice.

"Right now practices are going really well. We all continue to work hard and we've been working hard on defense and our plays on offense. Everything seems to be coming together really well," said Pickel.

Before each game the coaches receive a scouting report on the team they will be playing. "We practice the plays the other teams are doing so we know how to play against them," said Kacey Abbriano, 20, a junior physical education major from Hicksville, N.Y.

After falling to Westfield State 17-9 in their first game, the Lady Cadets have been determined to make sure that doesn't happen again. They are taking the losing game as a learning experience and growing from it.

"I definitely think it affected us positively because you learn a lot from losing regardless what sport you play. It was our first game and the first time we were outside, we were getting used to that and our positions and new players. We learned a lot about our players and our defense," said Danielle Del Dotto, 20 years-old, a junior physical education major from North Andover, Mass.

So far the team is looking strong and things are falling into place, according to one of the players.

One thing that can be a huge factor for the team is chemistry and this team does not seem short on that.

"I think our team chemistry is pretty good. At the beginning of the season we were butting heads a bit but we're really coming into our own and becoming a team," said Grace Fitzpatrick, a 19 year-old freshman and civil engineering major from Falmouth, Maine.

The team's preseason training is playing a big role for it during the season. The players' hard work and dedication in preseason is paying off.

"We've done a lot of conditioning so during games we're not getting winded. It definitely works to our advantage," Del Dotto said.

A good team is not just one with great offense, but one that is able to play at both ends of the field. The women's lacrosse team is an example of a well-rounded team.

"We've been working a lot on our defense because defense is number one. The best offense is a good defense and we have a great goalie back in net and that only adds to our defense," Fitzpatrick said.

With several conference games coming up, the pressure is on the Cadets. Most of the remaining games are conference ones, with the exception of Castleton State.

"Mount Ida is definitely a lot better program this year, they're going to give us a run for our money. Simmons is also a new and growing program that came out of nowhere this year and they're beating a lot of good teams. It should be interesting," Del Dotto said.

Every game the women are playing they are taking seriously, knowing that each game is a practice for the next.

"As of right now we're three and zero and I know Emerson is our biggest rivals for the past three years that I've been here. We just have to keep working at it and do our best. I think that the teams we play who that aren't so good, they are practice for us to make us a better stronger team for the bigger games," Abbriano said.

The women don't rely solely on their veteran players, because there are freshmen who are stepping up their game to help out the team.

"We have a lot of good young players. We have about three that start; Grace Fitzpatrick, who has been racking up the goals up front. She actually got Rookie of the Week. We have Caitlyn Trepess in the back who is doing a really good job on defense and Courtney Saheim who contributes a lot of speed up front," Pickel said.

With more than half of their season remaining the determination and hopes of returning to playoffs is in the back of their minds.

"I think that we'll do really well, we've done well in previous years and so far our seniors have come together and pulled out some good wins. I have a feeling our conference play will be good," Pickel said.