As many of you probably know our season came to an end on May 12th on a very rainy, very late Wednesday evening in Lexington. Despite a valliant effort from a tremendous group of student-athletes, we were unable to pull off a victory. The loss was heart-breaking for all, and especially for our four Seniors, but the Generals can truly say that they walked off the field that night having given everything they had. Our efforts to come from a four goal deficit to overtake Elizabethtown were led by Senior Meredith Freeman, whose heart and hustle inspired her teammates to take their game to a new level in the last 20 minutes of her W&L career. Each of the Seniors, Laura Cavanaugh, Meredith, Julia Gotwald and Britten Mathews have left their marks on our program in so many ways and we can only hope they understand our appreciation.
A few days after the game a fellow W&L athletic staff member stopped me to chat about how we had played and the outcome. After I re-capped the game and told of the emotions and sentiments felt afterwards she said, "the hardest part about making the playoffs is that unless you become the National Champion, every team ends its season with a loss." That statement may seem a little bit too obvious, but it taught me something. Nobody prepares you to lose. As athletes we spend a solid three hours a day and then some practicing, scheming and pep-talking ourselves for how we will peform to guarantee a win every Saturday. As coaches we watch film, plan practices, analyze and strategize until we feel our team is best prepared for victory. After a season-ending loss like Wednesday night's it's inevitable that a season like the Generals' 2010 season will be overshadowed with sadness, tears and maybe some regrets.
But that shouldn't be the case. This season the Generals' Women's Lacrosse team had much more to celebrate than to be disappointed in. The team set a list of lofty goals for itself in the beginning of the season and reached every one of them. We had a winning record with a schedule that ranks as one of the toughest in the nation. We beat tough non-conference rivals in Mary Washington and Catholic. We reclaimed the ODAC title and brought it home to Lexington. But it is what happened behind the scenes, what the fans and parents haven't seen, that is truly worth celebrating. The 23 student-athletes who make up the 2010 Generals' Women's Lacrosse team traveled a long, bumpy, snow-laden and difficult road to become the team they ended their season as. Through field changes, injuries, 6AM practices, terrible losses and even more terrible perimeter runs, 7-ups and no-drops drills, this team banded together to fight for what they had set out to achieve. Without the unity that grew amongst them we would not have succeeded.
So although none of us were prepared for that loss, I hope that we can all see past it and recognize the greatness of a season like ours. There is much to be proud of and my congratulations and appreciation goes to each member of this team for making this year what it was.
A special congratulations to our players for their well-desereved accolades:
All-ODAC team: 1st Team Julia Gotwald, Katharine Farrar, Emmy Mathews. 2nd Team Christina Benedetti, Kathy Brown and Wilton Megargel.
All-ODAC Tournament team: Katharine Farrar, Britten Mathews, Emmy Mathews, Maddie McKaig.
ODAC/Farm Bureau Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Emmy Mathews.
IWLCA All-Chesapeake Region team: 1st Team Julia Gotwald, Katharine Farrar, Emmy Mathews.
A few days after the game a fellow W&L athletic staff member stopped me to chat about how we had played and the outcome. After I re-capped the game and told of the emotions and sentiments felt afterwards she said, "the hardest part about making the playoffs is that unless you become the National Champion, every team ends its season with a loss." That statement may seem a little bit too obvious, but it taught me something. Nobody prepares you to lose. As athletes we spend a solid three hours a day and then some practicing, scheming and pep-talking ourselves for how we will peform to guarantee a win every Saturday. As coaches we watch film, plan practices, analyze and strategize until we feel our team is best prepared for victory. After a season-ending loss like Wednesday night's it's inevitable that a season like the Generals' 2010 season will be overshadowed with sadness, tears and maybe some regrets.
But that shouldn't be the case. This season the Generals' Women's Lacrosse team had much more to celebrate than to be disappointed in. The team set a list of lofty goals for itself in the beginning of the season and reached every one of them. We had a winning record with a schedule that ranks as one of the toughest in the nation. We beat tough non-conference rivals in Mary Washington and Catholic. We reclaimed the ODAC title and brought it home to Lexington. But it is what happened behind the scenes, what the fans and parents haven't seen, that is truly worth celebrating. The 23 student-athletes who make up the 2010 Generals' Women's Lacrosse team traveled a long, bumpy, snow-laden and difficult road to become the team they ended their season as. Through field changes, injuries, 6AM practices, terrible losses and even more terrible perimeter runs, 7-ups and no-drops drills, this team banded together to fight for what they had set out to achieve. Without the unity that grew amongst them we would not have succeeded.
So although none of us were prepared for that loss, I hope that we can all see past it and recognize the greatness of a season like ours. There is much to be proud of and my congratulations and appreciation goes to each member of this team for making this year what it was.
A special congratulations to our players for their well-desereved accolades:
All-ODAC team: 1st Team Julia Gotwald, Katharine Farrar, Emmy Mathews. 2nd Team Christina Benedetti, Kathy Brown and Wilton Megargel.
All-ODAC Tournament team: Katharine Farrar, Britten Mathews, Emmy Mathews, Maddie McKaig.
ODAC/Farm Bureau Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Emmy Mathews.
IWLCA All-Chesapeake Region team: 1st Team Julia Gotwald, Katharine Farrar, Emmy Mathews.
