ERIK HAYDEN
Staff Writer
The Pepperdine women’s lacrosse team completed a successful season that saw the Waves ranked in the top 20th nationally and included some memorable victories.
The team finished with a 9-7 record and barely missed the WWLL Division II championship when it lost the title game April 22 to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, 10-9.
In addition, the Pepperdine B Team finished 1-4 in regular games and competed in several tournaments.
“Our playing style has been fast paced, high intensity lacrosse,” said Sascha Reed, an A-team player and contributor. Reed believes that the program “really turned around this year” and has elevated its status to a championship-worthy team.
Although winning was the main goal for many of the squad’s A-team, members of the B-team have expressed that learning the fundamentals of the game helped them grow stronger and closer as a community of players. “Getting to know each other and the sport very well was amazing,” said B-team player Jessica Henritz-Hoye. “We play better when we not only understand our goals but know our teammates strengths.”
As a B-team player, Kate Watkins watched the A-team progress from a talented but inconsistent team to a consistent team that played off key players’ strengths. “They [the A-team] had a really successful season. Unfortunately they had a rough loss against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.” Watkins also cited the consistent play in games against Northeastern and Oregon.
Head coach Paul Ramsey is the man who has turned the program around. Reed believes he “really cares and understands” the struggles that the team has gone through this season. His empathy has given him the ability to connect to the team and hold them together through the roughest stages of the season.
The players have attributed the team’s success not just to the head coach but the entire coaching staff. Reed believes the staff “encourages intensity in a very hands-on environment” and has allowed the team to grow together throughout the season. Henritz-Hoye has said that the key for the A-team has been the Assistant Coaches Sydney Green, Juliet Mittleman and Kate Soulier. “They are very experienced college players who really have made it fun and exciting for both teams.”
The coaching staff’s energy has given both the A and B team something to rally around especially when the times get tough. The disappointments this year have come in the form of “tough losses in overtime in games that we should have one,” says Reed.
Junior Rachel McIntosh was named to the WWLL All-League team along with sophomores Audrey Donaldson and Annie McKinley and freshman Alyssa Torjesen. The team voted McKinley the team’s Most Valuable Attacker, Torjesen the Most Valuable Midfielder, Alison Brittain the Most Valuable Defender and Anne Silvey the Most Improved Player.
04-27-2007