By Pat Mariboe
Senior Writer
The women’s lacrosse team clinched a spot in the Centennial Conference playoffs for the eighth consecutive year after a 16-11 win over Haverford on Wednesday, April 18.
The Shorewomen tried to get the momentum going heading into the playoffs with two final home games against Swarthmore and No. 4 Gettysburg last week.
The team headed into their game against Swarthmore with a No. 25 ranking, their first of the season. Things were looking grim for the Shorewomen, who trailed 12-9 with only a few minutes to go versus the Garnet. However, thanks to some late-game heroics and a game winning goal by junior Kristy Grovom with only 51 seconds to play, the Shorewomen fought back to take the 13-12 victory.
Junior goalie Isabella Richardson made six saves while relief goalie sophomore Victoria Shanerman tallied three.
“I attribute our team’s success to the fact that our team understands more than ever what’s at stake,” Richardson said. This year everybody is contributing to our success; it’s not just one or two people, it’s the whole team. We have all bought in and are working together to achieve success.”
On Saturday, it was not only the team’s final home game of the season, but also the final collegiate home game for the seniors as, Madison Acra, Morgen Moran, Rachel Shaw, and Autumn Spence were all recognized during the pre-game for their efforts to the program the past few years.
Despite ending the first half with a 5-3 lead, No. 4 Gettysburg was simply too much to handle. The Bullets came back and won the game 12-8. Despite the loss, the team still feels confident with their chances heading into playoffs.
“Every game is a whole team effort and everyone steps up,” junior Cecily Docktor said. “I think we compete in one of the hardest conferences, but this year I think we’ve finally realized that we can compete with these top teams.
Docktor said she thinks the team has more composure and a sense of calmness going into the playoff tournament.
Saturday’s meeting won’t be the last time the teams face off again, as both sides will be meeting on Saturday, May 5 in the semifinals of the Centennial Conference playoffs.
“We know we have to focus, take one game at a time, and execute our game plan for any given game,” Richardson said. “Our mentality is simple: it’s play with pride and play together.”