By Riain Flynn
Contributing Writer
Playing on the home field makes a game more special for the home team. Being able to play on your homefield in sports makes a game feel special and important. Homefield advantage means that teams attract more spectators and with the comfort of being on their own field and more support from the community, the team will typically play better For Saint Rose’s new Women’s Lacrosse team they not only won their game, but they won by a long shot at a score of 18-5.
The scheduled game at noon Saturday against the University of the District of Columbia Firebirds was the first home game for the team and the second game in their season.
The team had lost their first away game with a 13-8 score against Saint Thomas Aquinas College last Sunday.
The women’s lacrosse team was first announced in the Summer of 2018 after Kaitlin Gaghan was named head coach, and the team only started their first season this year. The team consists of 16 freshman, a sophomore, and a graduate student.
Around five minutes later, District of Columbia senior Kianna Franklin (07) scored the first goal for her team. Freshman Terri Nash scored soon after as their momentum began to pick up. After two more goals from Saint Rose, District of Columbia scored one final goal, which would be their last one in the first half.
The Saint Rose team never lost momentum for the entire first half, and showed a strong offense and defense. The Firebirds rarely got across their side of the field for a majority of the first half. Saint Rose scored 13 goals, ending a 10 point lead in the first half with a 13-3 score.
The second half began after a 15 minute halftime. It started off strong similar to the first, with another 2 goals in a short period of time. Firebirds freshman Madison Boykin scored her first goal of the season running from her goalie all the way around 90 yards across the field without being stopped. Soon after, another goal was made by the Firebirds and it appeared the momentum had shifted. However, this would be the last goal from District of Columbia.
Being that the team had only been formed in the Summer of 2019, they felt inexperienced and were not expecting too much for this game. Despite this, Saint Rose outperformed their first game by seven goals and a much bigger lead.
“We didn’t have a lot of expectations, but a lot of energy and heart,” said Saint Rose Women’s Lacrosse head coach Kaitlin Gahgan. “This was a better experience, we understand the flow better now.” Gaghan said.
“We were ready to give 110%,” said freshman player Alexis Farr. Farr tied with Ciliento for the most goals in the game with 4, and was very proud of her team and how well they worked together. “We work really well together because we have really good talk, and when the game changes, we accommodate quickly,” Farr said.
With a 1-1 record for the Saint Rose Women’s Lacrosse team, and a massive improvement in teamwork and technique, the future looks bright for the newly founded team. Despite the team only making its debut this spring, they have made a name for themselves and show that they are a team to be respected.
“It feels really relieving after everything we had done to prepare to show how we’ve come from the fall,” Farr said.
