The Elon University women’s lacrosse team will play its first-ever home game on Saturday, March 1. The Phoenix is hosting the Red Flash of St. Francis University (Pa.) in Rhodes Stadium at 1 p.m. The game holds high stakes for the Phoenix as it makes history, but the team isn’t solely focused the competition or the weight that this games holds.
“We haven’t even really thought about it in regards to the fact that it’s our very first game in program history and we have to win,” Elon head coach Josh Hexter said. “We’re just trying to improve our players individually, instead of stressing over scout reports. We’re really looking within and just trying to get better as a team.”
That being said, a win would mean a lot to the team and it would be their first of the season. The young squad has been facing top-tier teams, including No. 5 Duke University and Virginia Tech, and their lack of experience as Division I athletes has set them back a bit in terms of results. But what isn’t lacking is their fight and desire. The team’s competitive spirit carries through every minute of each game and speaks volumes to the culture of the program.
“The ACC is the toughest conference in the country and we’re really not looking at the season as wins and losses,” Hexter said. “We’re basing our success on trying to play really good competition that will help us improve and hope that by the end of the year we can do really well in the conference. Nobody wins the championship in February or March. We’re playing this competition so that we can get better and beat the competition in May.”
The Phoenix is looking to continue to improve and compete at a high level in each and every game it plays, no matter who the competition is. Facing such tough competition so early on, the team has showed a lot of maturity and relentlessness. They has shown a resolve to not let up even when the odds are against them.
“Even when we’re down, our girls continue to stay poised,” assistant coach Virginia Crotty said. “That’s a really powerful thing for a bunch of new players to come in and continue the game plan and nick away at the other team, slowly but surely. They never give up. Against Virginia Tech, we grew up a little bit and played with a lot more poise.”
That’s where the team is strongest. Their youth brings eagerness and a competitive edge as each player is trying to prove themselves day in and day out.
“They hustle and they scrap,” said Hexter. “It’s going to take more game experience to understand how to fully execute what we need to do.”
In preparation for their upcoming games, the focus is on the individual. Honing in on those specific skills as well as team skills from a tactical standpoint are taking priority over heavy scouting reports.
“We’re working more on our attack and stick skills every day. We’ve put more emphasis on that, but more situational,” said Hexter. “It seemed very clear we have to just focus on us, regardless of the competition. It has to be about us getting better.”
This will be St. Francis’s first game, which could be a benefit for Elon. According to Hexter, the team is very well-coached and will be well-prepared, but now that Elon has a few games under its belt, the Phoenix has the potential to earn its first victory. For Elon, the keys to winning this game will be in its tactical approach and having composure out on the field, offensively and defensively.
“We can continue to improve our overall poise, our stick handling and clearing the ball in our offense,” Hexter said. “If we can win the draw battle, that’s going to be really important, as well as groundballs and 50-50 balls.”
The team needs no motivation leading up to the game this weekend, especially under these historic circumstances. They are making history and are more than ready to get out on that field and represent Elon for the first time ever at home.
“It’s exciting and it’s brand new,” senior captain Emily Bishop said. “I think if we have our fans behind us, the energy level will go up and that will carry onto the field.”
The Phoenix will also host its first Atlantic Sun Conference game next week when Detroit comes to Rhodes Stadium. Detroit, which made it to the conference championship last year, is going to be a huge challenge for Elon.
“It is a big deal. It is important. It does matter,” Hexter said. “It will still be the same philosophy though going into that. If we really concentrate on us and getting better individually and as a unit, the wins will come.”