By Dominic Rapposelli
Sports Editor
Washington College women’s lacrosse was off to their best start in a decade after jumping out to four straight wins to kick off the season.
The Shorewomen picked up their fourth win with a 15-8 triumph over the Mary Washington Eagles. In the second quarter, senior Abby Laubach found the back of the net for her hundredth career point.
WC fell to the Eagles in each of the last two meetings, including a 16-12 road loss at the University of Mary Washington last campaign. This was the second time the Shorewomen were able to vanquish the Eagles, who still lead the all-time series between the programs 4-2.
Additionally, sophomore attacker Mia Salvatierra enjoyed a stellar start to her second season with the program. Salvatierra racked up at least two goals per outing, including a pair of four goal performances.
“Personally, I think our team has been off to a great start this season. With a new coach and a lot of new incoming players, I think the start was a great confidence boost for the team. We worked really hard over the fall and preseason,” Salvatiera said.
Through four games, the Shorewomen outscored their opponents a combined total of 67-45. The squad was challenged in their first meeting with a ranked opponent in a home matchup against the fifth ranked Salisbury Seagulls.
The Seagulls took care of the high flying attack of the Shorewomen to the tune of a 19-5 Seagull victory. Salisbury would advance to 4-0, while the Shorewomen dip to 4-1.
“Salisbury is ranked in the top 10 for a reason, and it’s always a great opportunity to compete against the best regardless of the outcome,” junior goalkeeper Emily Markley said. “We know that we have plenty more games to play against many great teams, and that we need to bring intensity and fast paced play to practice in order to be more efficient and make a bigger presence during games.”
This will not be the final ranked opponent for WC, as they will face York College of Pennsylvania, Gettysburg College, and Franklin and Marshall, who are all top 10 programs in Division III women’s lacrosse.
“We are in one of the most competitive conferences for women’s lacrosse and have a couple of ranked teams on our schedule coming up. We have been running scout as a team and working extremely hard during practice,” Salvatierra said. “We play some of the strongest defenses and top attacks, but during practice with the talent of our team we have been able recreate that level of play to push that intensity that we will see on the field to prepare us.”
There is still a long season ahead of the Shorewomen, including an incoming four game road stint. The Shorewomen will not return home until March 30, where they will host the second ranked Gettysburg Bullets. The Bullets sent the Shorewomen home last season in the playoffs.
“I think if we can continue to work hard and improve on the little things, short term success will build over time, and turn into climbing higher in the rankings, Markley said. “I fully believe that we have the leadership, talent, and determination to do it this year.”
The next contest for the Shorewomen will be a neutral site game against Carroll, (Wis.) taking place in Sewanee Tenn. at 1:00 p.m.
Photo Caption: Senior Abby Laubach became the thirty-fifth player to reach 100 career points in program history.
Photo Courtesy of WC Athletics