Women's lacrosse team sticks to success despite changes

Yeowomen are 2-2 under new coach.

Change is a scary thing, especially for a sports team, and especially for a former division champion like the Oberlin women's lacrosse team. Last year the team finished with a 12-3 record and the division title. This year they have a new coach, new players and a dearth of returning key players.

The team is optimistic despite these obstacles. "We lost a lot of really excellent players, but we still have a lot of talent," senior Priscilla Miner said.

The Yeowomen also like their new coach Mindy Manolovich, who has shouldered the load with new assistant coach Gene DeLorenzo, the men's basketball coach, who recently took over for Inez James. "Manolovich is great. She's really together, and she's doing basically everything on her own," Miner said.

The team is 2-2 after a win against Allegheny University on Wednesday following a five-day road trip to New York and Connecticut over Spring Break. The Yeowomen barely lost their first game to Hamilton College, 7-6, but then managed to come back from a 9-2 deficit to beat Division II team Sacred Heart University in overtime, 14-12.

The team then finished their tour with a loss to Ithaca College, by 14-8, despite a surge that brought the team back from a score of 9-1.

"I think our best game was against Sacred Heart," first-year Rachel Maguire said, "It's a testament to the team's potential that we could come back and win. Nobody was down, everyone was focused and really motivated."

"We're proving ourselves as a comeback team. We need to play our own game and learn to dictate how the game goes," co-captain junior Kate Williams said.

Another cause of alarm for the team was a flu epidemic that befell six of the players and Manolovich over the New York and Connecticut tour. Williams's mother actually drove the team back to Ohio and then flew home to Connecticut because Manolovich was too sick to drive. "My mom loves being a team mom," Williams said. "Everyone's fine now."

The lacrosse team plays at home on Saturday against Kenyon College and then at the College of Wooster on Tuesday. Allegheny beat Kenyon and Oberlin beat Allegheny, but "you can never underestimate the other team," Miner said.

It should be a good season for the restructured team. "I'm really optimistic," Williams said. "It turned out a lot different from last year, with a change of coach and change of players, but we have amazing potential. I hope we go all the way again, because I know we can."

Sleek afoot: First-year Amanda Kolker takes the lead in a high speed Gator chase. The Yeowomen easily defeated Allegheny 13-4 to bring their record to the .500 mark. (photo by John Matney)