This year’s lacrosse team is in a rebuilding year.

The majority of the team consists of new players and freshmen, but in spite of the limitations of being a new team, the girls have worked hard to improve.

“Every single day at the end of practice we’re better than we were at the start of practice,” JV captain Lena Leland said. “There’s just so much growth every single second there on the field.”

Varsity captain Abbey Brewer thinks that the freshmen make a huge difference.

“They’re extremely determined, and they pick up the game so fast,” she said.

“There’s a lot of strong talent on both teams, and we’ve all been working together to teach the new players and develop the returners,” varsity captain Lily Steiger added.

Assistant Coach Jennifer Cutler is optimistic that the team will continue to grow.

“If this is our new year, then in two or three years, we’ll be able to compete better with the schools in our conference,” Cutler said.

This year is Cutler’s first time coaching the girls lacrosse team.

“I have a lot of the girls in class, so it’s fun to get to know them outside of an academic setting,” Cutler said. “I look forward to practice each day.”

Strengths of the team include dedication and hard work, which has led to notable improvement throughout the season.

“Our defense has been pretty strong this year; everyone has really been stepping up, both on Varsity and JV,” Steiger said.

“We’ve been working really hard this season on being aggressive and believing in ourselves, which I think has helped our performance a lot,” she added.

Besides improving technique, the girls have also maintained a positive attitude.

“I think that a lot of us have fallen in practice, but we just keep a smile on our face and laugh it off,” Leland said. “That’s really helped us stay strong both mentally and physically because [lacrosse] is a physically demanding sport, and it’s hard to keep up with unless you stay positive.”

Building a positive team environment was one of Brewer’s goals for this year.

 “Last year there was a lot of negativity, so creating a safe and positive environment in addition to people working hard and wanting to get better at the sport is really important to us,” she said.

Cutler has seen the girls support one another this year.

“The team works really together,” she said. “They all get along and love to have a good time.”

“I’m really proud of how much the whole team cares about each other, both on and off the field,” Steiger added.

As a result of more new members and parent involvement, the team has gained more attention.

“That’s really exciting—to see the community start to recognize the hard work that goes into playing lacrosse,” Cutler said.

“I think we’ve gotten a lot better this year, and the people who’ve come to our games have also mentioned that our team is a lot more entertaining to watch, and that we’ve made improvements,” Brewer said.

“I think the [underclassmen] are really strong and … they’re going to keep the program going,” she added. “It’s just going to grow from here.”

The girls lacrosse team played Olmsted Falls High School on Monday, April 30.

Unfortunately, both Varsity and JV lost by a score of 16-4 and 10-1, respectively.

The Lady Bison will face Orange High School at home on both Thursday, May 3 and Thursday, May 10.