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A big win against UCCS sparks discussion of new heights the team can climb
By Lauren Wolters, WoltersL1@Findlay.edu
The University of Findlay women’s lacrosse team defeated the University of Colorado Springs 13-9 on Feb. 27. UF is now 1-1 on the season.
Their next matchup is also in Colorado against Colorado State University Pueblo on Thursday, Feb. 29 at 4 p.m. Head women’s lacrosse coach Amy Long shared her thoughts about the team’s upcoming trip to Colorado in an email interview.
“We are excited for our games in Colorado and have high expectations for how we will perform,” Coach Long said. “We plan to play disciplined, minimizing our turnovers and fouls. We are also focused on earning a high shot percentage and winning ground balls.”
UF’s lacrosse team tied for second place in the G-MAC 2024 Lacrosse Preseason Coaches’ Poll alongside Ashland University. Walsh University placed first in the poll and are three-time defending champions of the league.
“Our biggest strengths include our team culture and speed,” Coach Long said. “We have some very talented athletes; they are motivated to play for each other and learn new systems to be a more multidimensional team. An area we are focused on developing is our mental game including our response to errors and tough opponents. We’re also working to grow our confidence as this team can achieve great things.”
UF faced a tough opponent in the first game of the season, losing 3-25 to Maryville on Feb. 18.
“We did not perform to our [full] potential against Maryville,” Coach Long said. “Our biggest takeaway is that we need to focus on how we respond and play our game as a team regardless of the opponent we are facing, or their strengths.”
Even though it is early in the season, the Oilers have faced several challenges. Coach Long explained that the team’s small roster size and an above average number of the team’s athletes recovering from injuries are a couple obstacles the team must overcome.
“We are excited to have a couple of people return to play in March who will elevate our play and increase our depth,” Coach Long said.
The team set two major goals for the season. According to Coach Long, the first is to win the G-MAC title and the second is to maintain a team GPA of 3.5 or higher for the spring semester.
This is Coach Long’s first season as the head coach for UF’s lacrosse team. Previously she served as the head coach of the women’s lacrosse team for St. Mary’s College in Indiana for eleven years. She has also held high school head coaching positions and several assistant coaching positions at various colleges.
“I am most excited to see the growth of our team throughout the season,” Coach Long said. “We have big goals and great expectations, and I can’t wait to see us come together to achieve our goals.”
