After starting off the season 2-0 with wins over Pacific and Linfield in Oregon over Sprind break, Plymouth State’s women’s lacrosse team lost to Fitchburg State this past Tuesday. Plymouth finally got their season started after having multiple cancellations due to snow on a couple of different fields. Head Coach Kristin Blanchette called having the first three games of the season cancelled “frustrating, but it has really fueled the fire for the team.”
This fire has carried the Lady Panthers to a 2-1 overall start, with their first league game being tomorrow against Rhode Island College. Fab freshman midfielder Emily Buckle (Danbury, Conn.) has contributed 10 total points so far this season while sophomore midfielder Caitlin Swanson (Holderness, N.H.) had scored 9 goals to go along with an assist so far this year. Jenn Foley (Tewksbury,Mass.), Kathryn Rogers (Wolfeboro, N.H.) and Amanda Richardson (Bradford, N.H.) can’t go unnoticed either, as the three of them have a combined 12 goals and 13 ground balls. Buckle isn’t the only freshman that is stepping up big this year, as Lorin Field (Hollis, N.H.) already has over 30 saves on the season to go along with a save percentage over 62%. These 5 players aren’t the only ones that will play a crucial role this season, as Coach Blanchette said that “everyone on the field is a threat and will definitely contribute.”
Plymouth will be on the road for the next couple of weeks, as their first home game is on April 14th against Bridgewater State. The date that the Panthers have circled on their calendar is on the 19th of April against Keene State as A) it is their last regular season away game B) Keene State was the team that ended the Panthers season last year and C) its Keene State.
The Panthers come into this year hoping to continue to build on last year’s success, as the team went 10-6 overall and 5-1 in league play, but ultimately lost in the ECAC New England Tournament Semifinal. When I asked Coach Blanchette her thoughts on the team this year compared to last year, Blanchette said both teams had players that were “determined, committed and hard working.” Coach Blanchette had an extremely young team last year, so the success wasn’t necessarily expected last year. With the players from last year’s team coming back, and with freshman coming in such as Buckle and Field, Coach Blanchette is optimistic that the team “can get further than last year.” With the experience from last year’s playoff run and the 1st year players on this team, the Panthers have the potential to create a lot of damage in the LEC and get the NCAA playoff spot that they are hungry for.