The NMU Women’s Lacrosse team faces off against Concordia University, St. Paul this weekend for their first GLIAC game of the season. The Wildcats look to rebound after losing to Findlay last weekend after a hard-fought 21-20 defeat.
The Wildcats are ready to show their grit after only getting in five games last year due to the pandemic. This will be many of the athletes’ first GLIAC matches and they’ve prepared to make a stand to show the progress they made since their last short-lived season.
“Last year our season ended before conference play started, so this will be my first time coaching against a GLIAC opponent,” Head Coach Lindsey LeMay said. “It will also be over half of the team’s first GLIAC contest due to the same reasons–so I think I can safely say we’re all pretty excited to finally get to compete.”
CSP already has two conference wins under their belt right now putting them atop of the conference standings. The ‘Cats also have the pressure of last weekend to deal with but they won’t let lessons learned go to waste. They know their strengths and have made a strong bond between themselves even in these restricted times.
“We have recently got a large wake-up call after traveling and I think this has ignited confidence and willingness to be tough and execute what we practice,” Sophomore captain midfielder Aleya Speas said. “Our team is very physically aggressive, which gives us a competitive scrappy edge against other teams. We’re also a very close-knit team, everyone has each other’s backs on and off the field.”
The Cats’ may have pressure but they’ve shaken it off with confidence heading into this match. After working so hard in the preseason, they know they have to come in strong to secure the win. With only five games last year, they know they have to make every second count on and off the field while also keeping their excitement and aggression high.
“I feel good about this weekend. Our team worked really hard throughout the fall and preseason and I think that it is time that we have the opportunity to show other teams that we are not the same team as we were before,” sophomore attacker Emily Renfrew said. “We have the chance to be very competitive and even come out with a win but we all have to come into the game with high energy, lots of focus, and a lot of intensity.”
CSP is sure to look out for Renfrew, who is the Wildcats’ top scorer right now and is trusted to keep the pace up these next coming games. Players like midfielders freshman Madeline Bittel and sophomore Jessica Daniels also keep up the pace following Renfrew in scores, and leading the defense is sophomore goalkeeper Cam Stilson.
“I’m really impressed with number nine, attacker Emily Renfrew. She’s really stepped up when we’ve needed her to,” LeMay said. “It’s always nice as a coach to have an athlete that you trust to score when you need them to, and that is Emily for us. She’s coming off a nine-goal game against Findlay, our last non-conference contest, and that ties our program record for most goals in a game for a player.”
The players are grateful for this season and they hope to continue to play as long as they can and get as much time as they can out on the field. The Wildcats have improved since last season and have worked towards making the best out of their situation. This weekend against CSP could be the jumpstart that this team’s looking for.
“We have very talented players, a phenomenal coaching staff and the support of our university. We have the tools and the drive to do well this season,” sophomore captain defenseman Jessica Close said. “Every day, I look forward to taking the field with these girls and that won’t change no matter what happens this season.”
