By Braedan Shea
@braedan_shea
Just a minute into the fourth quarter of the Springfield Colleges women’s lacrosse matchup against Skidmore College, Pride head coach Jenn Thomas was quick to call her final timeout. Thomas knew that she needed to keep the momentum on her side, despite her team’s three goal lead.
“I usually would never call a timeout one minute into the fourth quarter – but it was good,” Thomas said. “We just kind of sent the message that even though we are up by a few goals, we still need to keep powering through. Skidmore is a phenomenal team, so even if we are only up by three, in my mind, we’re tied.”
Over the next nine minutes of play, Thomas’ decision proved to be the correct one. Not only did the Pride add two more goals, pushing their lead to an almost insurmountable five, but Skidmore had trouble even getting the ball past midfield. When it did, the Thoroughbreds failed to get a single shot off, as a relenting Springfield defense played the passing lanes perfectly.
By the time Skidmore finally found the back of the net with just 5:13 left to go, it proved to be far too late. Through gritty defense, and a promising new offensive approach, Springfield took down Skidmore 16-12 in the Pride’s home opener.
Coming into this season, Thomas wanted to revamp her entire offensive gameplan, focusing on moving the ball and having a more diverse scoring attack. The team relied so heavily on graduate midfielder Jade O’Connor last season that stopping Springfield became very easy; shown in a crushing defeat to Babson in the NEWMAC semifinals. Through just two games though, the new offensive mindset is paying off.
Of the 16 goals Springfield scored against Skidmore, eight separate players found the back of the net, and no player took more than six shots. The emphasis on moving the ball was obvious from the first draw, as the Pride lulled the Thoroughbreds to sleep with continuous passing and movement for almost three minutes, until midfielder Abby Taylor found an opening, got fouled and finished on the free position goal.
But even in this more opportunistic offense, one player has been standing tall above the rest: first-year midfielder Izzy Lalancette. In just her first two games dawning a Springfield jersey, Lancancette has netted a team-leading nine goals on an uber efficient 69 percent clip.
Although just a first-year, Lalancette carries herself with the poise and confidence of someone who has years of experience. Whenever her team needs a “pick-me-up” goal, she’s not afraid to put her shoulder down and barrel through the teeth of the defense, scoring at will.
Still, Lalancette humbly accredits her early success to her teammates.
“Our team culture is what it comes down to,” Lalancette said. “I love coming to practice every day. I love playing the game. It’s the best part of being [at Springfield] – it’s what I look forward to. It comes from the support on the bench and like our teammates just being there.”
Lalancette and the Pride will look to continue tormenting opposing defenses in their return to Stagg Field on Sat., March 2.
Photo courtesy of Ella Travaglino/Springfield Athletics