Sports
W. lacrosse team to face Amherst in opening round of NESCAC playoffs
By Levi Lorenzo ’19
April 28, 2016
Tags sports
The Hamilton women’s lacrosse team will head into the NESCAC postseason as the 12th-ranked in Division III. The Continentals finished with a record of 10-5, including a 5-5 record within the conference, which leaves them sixth in the NESCAC heading into the conference playoffs. In the first round of the playoffs this Saturday, April 30, Hamilton will travel to third-seeded Amherst. The matchup was locked in based on the outcome of two NESCAC games on Wednesday, April 27. Although Amherst lost to Trinity, 11-7, the Lord Jeffs stayed ahead of Colby for the third seed by virtue of their 8-4 win over the Mules on April 9.
Amherst’s loss helped Hamilton avoid a rematch against seventh-ranked Trinity. That first matchup between the two teams ended in a 9-8 victory for the visiting Bantams on a goal with 5.4 seconds left in overtime which was the final goal of a 6-0 Trinity run. The loss was certainly tough to swallow for the Hamilton women, but the team is looking forward optimistically and is learning from its mistakes to come back better.
Midfielder Darby Philbrick ’18 reflected this attitude, saying, “The loss to Trinity was a heartbreaker. That being said, it was a learning experience as all losses are.” Head coach Patty Kloidt pointed to specific areas of improvement which will help the team win games like the Trinity one, proclaiming that “We need to tighten up our management of the game within the game to secure a win in a tight game. We will continue to work on this aspect of the game and our execution of finishing the game as we head into the postseason.”
Midfielder Casey File ’17 highlighted positive aspects of the team that she believes were revealed in the Trinity loss, stating, “This past weekend was honestly one of the best games we have played as a team this season. We never gave up a fight against Trinity. We never got down on one another during the game when something didn’t go our way, we would pump each other up by saying ‘let’s give it right back to them.’ The outcome of the game was not in our favor but we really learned a lot as a team. The game showed the true toughness. I am very proud of everything we accomplished in that game.” Defender Maddie Fitzpatrick ’18 felt that the game was a statement game, proving to all that, “We can hold our own with any team in our division.”
The Trinity loss was a tough end to an otherwise successful regular season. “Walking away with a regular season record of 10-5 feels pretty great,” says Philbrick. Fitzpatrick points to the team’s undefeated non-conference record, their win against Florida Southern, ranked third in Division II and the fact that three of the team’s losses were by one goal as testament to the Continentals’ regular season success.
Coach Kloidt attributes the success to the fact, “The team is committed to learn from every game whether we win or lose.” While the team has just a .500 winning percentage in the NESCAC, that record reveals more about the strength of the NESCAC than anything else. The conference’s powerhouse status is evident through a quick glance at the IWLCA Division III Coaches Poll, which places seven NESCAC women’s lacrosse teams in the top 16 in all of Division III.
Given the strength of the NESCAC, the Continentals face quite a challenge in the conference tournament. The team is eager to meet said challenge, however. Says Fitzpatrick, “Our team is very excited and prepared to make a run in the NESCAC playoffs. We plan to have a hard week of competitive practices and can’t wait to see who we are playing in the quarter finals next Saturday. Our hard work this entire season has been in preparation for success in the post season.”
This team is an inspired one, motivated by the pain of the Trinity loss and looking for revenge. “We are all hopeful to see Trinity again in the playoffs,” remarks Fitzpatrick. “All of our losses this season came from hard fought games against highly ranked teams. Knowing this, I think, gives our team a lot of motivation to want to get some revenge in playoffs.”
Philbrick echoed Fitzpatrick’s optimism, adding that the team is, “eager to make adjustments and come in ready to crush whoever we end up playing on Saturday.”
Things are clicking for the Continentals; they are motivated, working hard and playing well. “They are playing some tournament style lacrosse at the right time,” claims Coach Kloidt. A successful regular season is nice but the playoffs provide the bottom line for a program’s reputation. There is no room for error and no second chances. The Continentals have worked hard and learned a lot; now is the time to prove it.