Girls' Lax Catches Fire in Second Half of Season

Exeter’s varsity girls’ lacrosse team started off the season with some difficulty, losing their first six games, but turned around their spring by going 6-3 in their last nine games.The first game for Exeter was a double meet against Kimball Union Academy and St. Mark’s School. As expected, Big Red kicked off the season with success, and won against both teams. Four days later, Exeter scrimmaged against Groton School and again claimed victory 18-8, which shone an optimistic light on what the season could be.But the season changed course when the girls let a close game against Choate Rosemary Hall slip with an 8-10 loss.In five subsequent games against Governors Academy, Thayer Academy, North- field Mount Hermon School, Noble & Greenough School and Milton Academy, Exeter suffered through ups and downs on the field, and lost every game.Upper Alyssa Heinze described the team’s morale by the end of the six-game losing streak. “I think we knew that there was a point where we would click, but we just hadn't gotten there yet,” she said. “We knew our potential, and Coach Breen kept reminding us of it.”Heinze believes the losses pushed the team to work even harder in practice, motivating the girls to work harder for the rest of the season. “I also think we wanted to prove to ourselves that this team full of kids that had really just picked up lacrosse could compete and win games,” she said.With a newfound sense of perseverance, the girls continued to train hard in practices despite the tough losses that could have taken down any other team. The results of Exeter’s strong mentality and strong work ethics shone through when the team finally broke their losing streak with a 14-9 win against New Hampton School.Co-captain senior Gabii Wozniak believes that the win against New Hampton was Stefan Kohli/The Exonian precisely what the team needed to drive itself into a much better phase of the season. “That first win really propelled us into a new mode,” Wozniak said. “From then on, we were really able to harness our skills and learn to refine and work with oneanother. I think it’s safe to say we found our style of play in that game.”Turner agreed. “We played the best game we had all season and that click finally happened. It was the turning point in our season because that was the game we really gained confidence in ourselves and each other.”The next two games proved Turner’s statement that the New Hampton game was Exeter’s “turning point.” With a win against Pingree with a score of 10-8, fol- lowed by a close 12-13 loss against Brooks, who the team lost to by ten goals the previous year, the girls’ varsity lacrosse team gained a renewed sense of confidence in their abilities to claim more victories on the fields.The highlight of the season followed these two games, with Exeter coming out on top of Middlesex School in triple overtime.“We just played as a team, and from the beginning of the second half, we knew we were in the game and that we could do it,” Turner said, explaining the victory. “Middlesex is a great team and we shut down their main players fairly well, so we were able to work the offense and stay strong on defense. All in all I think it was just the drive to prove ourselves to everyone. We wanted it more than they did.”Wozniak contributed part of the win to the players’ mentalities. “There was nobody that did not do their job in that game, and again, I think we had momentum from finally finding our groove just a few games earlier. Also, for once I felt as though we went in to a game where we were the underdogs while still truly believ- ing we could win,” she said.Big Red took the gained momentum to push through the next two games against Tabor Academy and Brewster Academy, taking the win with scores of 17-14 and 10-8, respectively. Although the team had a little bit of a stumble over Deerfield Academy, losing 12-18, the team quickly recovered, getting the close win over Holderness School 12-11.The final game for Exeter’s girls’ varsity lacrosse team was against rival Andover in the spring Exeter/Andover games. Although Big Red suffered a close one-goal loss, with a score of 11-12, the team made unbelievable progress in the second half of the season, turning around a long losing streak to continue on a series of wins, including the highlight against Middlesex.Turner credited the season success to the captains, characterizing each one as different, unique, and special. Out of the three captains,“Gabii is goofy but at the same time is also a menace on the field. She really holds up the defense and is a great all-around player in general,” she said. “Darby is a grit player. She obviously leads off the field too, but especially on the field, she just works as hard as she can and it shows.”“Carlin is great on offense,” Turner continued. “She's fast, and she's a great motivator. The combination of the three captains was great; they got on our cases when we weren't focused but had fun at the same time.”The captains-elect for the girls’ varsity lacrosse team are uppers Hannah Wel- lington as well as Leo Liautaud and lower Marley Jenkins, members of the Upper New England National Team