The women’s lacrosse team played through rain and snow during their game against UW-River Falls on Friday. 

According to Alex Shea, a second-year biomedical engineering student, the weather challenged the players to think on the fly. 

“We faced a lot of challenges that were out of our control,” Shea said. “I think it was hard to deal with the weather. We had to quickly figure out a way to work around it and I think our team struggled to do that.”

Despite starting the game with a two-point lead, the score was tied at halftime. The Falcons had a two-point lead going into the fourth quarter. The Blugolds were unable to make up the deficit. The game ended with a score of 12-10, according to blugolds.com. 

According to head coach Aubrianne Neubert, the team had a very aggressive start to the game.

“We came out very dialed in,” Neubert said. “Consistency is our biggest challenge. It is hard to stay in that aggressive mentality when you’re far ahead at the start of the game.”

Alexie Romanelli, a second-year physical education student, said the members of the team were able to keep their heads up throughout the game. 

“We were up in the beginning and they were able to make a comeback,” Romanelli said. “We were able to keep fighting until the end of the game, and we cut it down to a two-point difference.”

According to Neubert, the team worked hard defensively during the game. 

“I’m happy with the way they broke down River Falls’ attack,” Neubert said. “Our defense was able to get in there and gain control of their team, especially at the start of the game. That was great to see.” 

The lacrosse team won their previous game against UW-River Falls on April 10, with a final score of 19-12. 

“Our priorities tend to change game to game, especially with the different defenses we face,” Shea said. “We’ve been pushing ourselves to hit our feet when people cut into the eight-meter mark so we can hit our passes.” 

According to Romanelli, the team’s strong dynamic and chemistry have improved their gameplay and brought them together on and off the field. 

“Our team has a very strong connection,” Romanelli said. “Any team that can come together off the field can come together on the field. We have that same connection while we play.”  

One of the team’s main focuses is keeping every player involved in the game, according to Nuebert.

“We strive to get every player to work towards our goals,” Nuebert said. “We want to get the assists going, have more people involved in our transitions and have more people touching the ball in the infield.”

According to Neubert, the team is confident in their abilities and they strive to be team players. 

“We have great players from all over that have come together and been able to produce from the very start,” Neubert said. “Even our younger players have confidence going into the games.”

The Blugolds’ next game will be held at 7 p.m. on April 24 at UW-Stout. 

Allessi can be reached at [email protected].