The Denver women’s lacrosse team kicked off the 2013 season with a 10-9 victory over Vanderbilt on Saturday in the team’s first away game of the season.
Despite a somewhat sloppy performance, there were several outstanding moments in the game, and the team was able to clinch the win, according to head coach Liza Kelly.
“The opponent was a good team who already had two games under their belt,” said Kelly. “Our performance was sloppy, but it’s good to get the first game out of the way.
“I think the girls came to win the game and came into the game with the mentality that they weren’t going to lose. They worked with a lot of heart and a lot of confidence, and they worked hard in the off season to get to where they are now.”
Kelly said it was also helpful to get a victory over a strong team and a game under their belt in general as a team.
“We had a somewhat sloppy game,” said Kelly. “We need better cohesive units at either end of the field.”
Heading into a new season, the Pioneers are looking to improve and solidify their lineup, which the team has been unable to do due to player injuries, according to Kelly.
Several players contributed to the overall success of the game, including senior Kara Secora, who had three goals in the game, along with two each from sophomore Jill Remenapp and junior Jenn Etzel. Etzel also netted the game-winning goal.
In addition to the offensive success, the Pioneers also saw strong performances from sophomore midfielder Kiki Boone, senior defender Kate Henrich and redshirt sophomore goaltender Hannah Hook, who contributed well during game transition, had five groundballs and recorded a total of eight saves, respectively.
“This season, I’m looking going to just getting better at every game and really going out and seeing what we can do,” said Kelly. “I also believe that the freshmen we have on the team are really going to push the upperclassmen; I’m eager to see where it takes us.”
The Pioneers will hit the road again next week when they travel to Washington, D.C. to play George Washington on Friday and Delaware on Sunday.
GWU is 1-1 on the season after topping Howard and falling to Drexel, led by sophomore midfielder Rachel Mia, with seven goals so far this season.
Delaware fell to Georgetown 16-12 in their first contest of the season and is led by sophomore midfielder Caitlin McCartney with five goals in the team’s first game of the season.
“We play against Washington and Delaware next week,” said Kelly. “We have a lot of girls that are from that area, so it’s always important that we go back and put a good show on the east coast.”
