Team finds success behind senior leadership

Senior Madison Fox walks with her father, surrounded by her teammates during Senior Night on April 18, 2016. GBN defeated Warren 19-3. Photo by Alec Mawrence.
Senior Madison Fox walks with her father, surrounded by her teammates during Senior Night on April 18, 2016. GBN defeated Warren 19-3. Photo by Alec Mawrence.

During the girls lacrosse senior night, varsity players were reduced to tears. Ten seniors were recognized during the ceremony, a big difference from last year when there were only two.

Senior Kate Seno started as goalie in the team’s 19-3 victory against Warren. This is her fourth year on the varsity team, and she is third in the state in save percentage, stopping 65.5% of shots as of May 13.

“When I was in goal, there was a lot of time to think to myself because our attack is fantastic,” said Seno. “It was one of those just really cool nights when it was dark out, the stadium lights were on, there was a little chill in the air. It was just a stereotypical athletic night, and I was just thinking, ‘Wow, I’m really going to miss this. There will be a day when I’m not going to be in the stadium playing anymore.’”

Seno, who was the starting goalie last year, said there were a lot of benefits to graduating only two seniors last year. The core starting line-up stayed about the same.

“We didn’t have to overcome what new teams have to overcome,” said Seno. “We didn’t have to click [since] we have all been playing together for two or three years. … I think everybody was a little nervous at first because we didn’t know how we would compare to other teams. [After winning our] first game, we realized that this could be the year.”

Tom Rosenbaum, girls lacrosse head coach, said the work this senior class has put into the program has helped it succeed.

“Their sophomore year we were 18-4, [reaching the] Elite Eight,” said Rosenbaum. “Last year we were 13-8 and lost in the Regional Final. The legacy that they’re leaving is outstanding. They’re leaving a program better than when they came in, and they did that through hard work and perseverance.”

Last year, the team’s season ended in overtime against Evanston after a controversial stick evaluation following a Spartan goal, said senior Audrey Christopher.

“They called a stick check on [one of our players],” said Christopher. “It had been raining, so her strings loosened up throughout the game because she had been throwing and catching. … They checked her stick and called it illegal, so they took back the goal and Evanston ended up scoring and they won. … I always think about that. It motivates me and a lot of our teammates as well.”

This year, the team beat Evanston 14-4. In another conference game and their second game of this season, the team defeated Maine South 10-9 in overtime.

According to Rosenbaum, the game started off close, but Maine South went up by a lot at halftime. After discussing what had happened, the Spartans changed their strategy to focusing on scoring only one goal at a time.

“[Junior] Emma Vickery, with a minute and 30 seconds left in the game, took the ball the entire length of the field, and shot the ball [to the] top corner of the net,” said Rosenbaum. “[The ball] went in, [which] tied it at 9-9. We did the draw and got the draw, and [we] had an opportunity to win in regulation. Shot went left. We went to overtime. Basically, everybody in the whole place knew that the ball was going to go to Shayna [Lutz]. Shayna knew she was going to get the ball. The other team knew Shayna was going to get the ball. She still willed herself and got the ball and rolled the crease and scored the winning goal.”

According to Seno, the hard work and perseverance that helps her team win means pushing each other to be better and staying after practice to run.

“[Running extra sprints] was a team idea,” said Seno. “One person kind of said it, and another person picked it up, and we were all like, ‘Yeah, let’s do it.’”

The team has a record of 14-4 and a conference record of 3-2 as of May 15. The team is tied for second in conference. Seno said the success is in part due to the team’s bond.

“I’m proud to stand behind my team,” said Seno. “As a goalie, you kind of make a list of people where you’re like, ‘Alright I trust these people to be in front of me. I can clear to these people.’ And as of this season, every single person on the team is on that list.”