Missing out on the weekend’s Homecoming festivities didn’t stop the women’s lacrosse team from proving they still had Golden Gael spirit.
At the University of Western Ontario and Wilfred Laurier University for three games, the women displayed a strong effort in their last matches of the regular season: they came away with two wins against Western and McMaster University and a loss against their arch-rival, the Laurier Golden Hawks. The Hawks have beaten the Gaels in the provincial championship each of the last two years.
The Hawks defeated the Gaels 11-7, completing their season undefeated at 6-0. The Gaels received two goals each from Martha Ross, Carley Miller and rookie Lisa McLaughlin, while Hanna Landherr tallied once.
Queen’s coach Robyn Ross said she was impressed by the Gaels’ ability to compete with a strong team like Laurier.
“We consider it a win in our books,” she said. “Laurier is the top team and we stayed with them all game. It showed we can compete with them.”
A mere three hours passed before the women’s next game against the Western Mustangs. Queen’s dominated early, scoring six goals by the first time out. The Gaels then constructed a defensive wall led by defensive player of the game Laura Snyder and goaltender Susanna Langman en route to a 9-6 win.
The Gaels traveled back to Laurier on Sunday to take on McMaster. Liz Macdonald scored the Gaels’ first goal, leading the way to an 11-5 victory. Queen’s goals came from six different players, including hat tricks from Landherr and Martha Ross.
McLaughlin scored seven goals in the weekend’s three games.
She said the weekend showed the team’s chemistry and hard work on conditioning.
“It’s been good so far; the team gets along really well,” she said. “Our chemistry transfers on to the field. … We’ve been working on conditioning, and it’s been paying off in games.”
Ross said McLaughlin has been a strong asset to the team.
“As a rookie, she’s taken a leadership role on the team,” she said. “[She’s] a very consistent player.” Queen’s finishes the season in third place. Playoffs are just around the corner for the Gaels, who will face the fifth-place Guelph Gryphons Oct. 26. If they win, they will face the first-place University of Toronto Varsity Blues the next day.
Ross said she’s confident the team can make it to the finals against Toronto.
She said she’s pleased by the Gaels’ performances so far, especially after the weekend’s games.
“We played our best lacrosse that we’ve seen yet,” she said.
“Nobody was expecting it from us. I’m just really proud of the girls, and I can’t get over how well they’ve been playing.”
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