Lacrosse Season Update

Lauren Ryan

After some challenges at the beginning of the season, the Gwynedd lacrosse team is on a successful streak including 7 victories in their last 9 games. This stretch has included 3 in-conference double-digit wins over Nazareth, Merion, and Villa Joseph Marie, and 3 out-of-league wins including an overtime thriller against Wissahickon. But perhaps the most notable – and most exciting – was the comeback win over rival Mount on April 20th.

Gwynedd was trailing 7-1 at halftime, and after 4 years of losing to Mount an onlooker might have assumed that this game would end up like all the others. The Gwynedd lacrosse players themselves had other plans. With an incredible 10 goal second half, a standout performance on the draw from senior attacker Keira Cassidy, and strong enough defense to hold the Mount to two goals in 25 minutes, Gwynedd secured an amazing win. The Magnet spoke to senior defender Abi Wickersham about the game. Abi is a talented defender who contributed greatly to limiting the Mount’s second half scoring. “This game against Mount was so special to me because as a senior, it was our last game against our biggest rival. In the first half, we experienced a large deficit, but as a team we worked together to outscore them in the final 25 minutes. As the clock ticked down the final seconds, we came together as a team, and it was one of those times where we really connected with one another. I could not have asked for a better team by my side as we overcame this obstacle, and I can’t wait to see what we accomplish in the upcoming weeks,” said Abi.

The win at Mount was certainly a memorable moment, but anyone on the team would tell you that this entire season has been enjoyable and exciting. Under their new head coach, Bridget Beck, the lacrosse team has been working hard, having fun, and playing together since early March, so it is exciting to see all the work pay off recently. The Magnet asked senior attacker and captain Audrey Beck about what makes this team and this season special, and how the team has been able to overcome early season challenges. “I think this season has taken a complete 180 turn to success. I think we started out really slow, but we gained our confidence through practice. Our intensity and our belief in ourselves and each other have grown a lot. With these upcoming games against Villa Maria and other teams within our league who we get to play a second time, it will go a lot better. The Mount game was a huge turn around in our season, and with the confidence we gained from that game, we can take on anyone,” said Audrey. Her performance against the Mount earned her PASLA player of the week honors, and Audrey will continue to be a key factor in the Monarchs’ success this year.

The team has another important league game coming up on Tuesday, April 25th against Villa Maria. Be sure to cheer on your Monarchs as they look to upset the #1 team in the district, and as they continue through the rest of the regular season.