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OSU's Women's lacrosse club recently hosted its first tournament at OSU. Ramie Frey, a low attack and mid fielder, scored one point during Sunday's game versus Willamette University. OSU won 16-9.

Women's lacrosse club scores big

Club team doesn't have funding for perks like a coach, but the group is looking to gain exposure and add players to its roster

By: Noah Tinker

Posted: 3/6/07

OSU's women's lacrosse club team improved its season record to 4-1 over the weekend by pulling out victories over visiting Lewis & Clark University and Willamette University in a tournament held at Reser Stadium.

The Beavers finished second to the defending league champion Ducks who dealt OSU their first loss of the season Saturday, 21-7.

OSU started the tournament with a confidence-boosting 13-11 win over Lewis & Clark in an early morning game Saturday. The victory vaulted the Beavers' record to 2-1, equaling their win total from last season.

"This is our best season ever," said Heather Wendt, a sophomore in animal sciences, who began playing when she attended Glencoe High school in Hillsboro. "Some of our girls just started playing - we have two brand new players this year and a couple of girls who are seniors just started playing for the first time."

After the Ducks thrashed the Willamette Bearcats 20-3 in an earlier game, the Beavers took their turn.

The Beavers initially kept things close, fighting to keep the score tied 1-1. But the Ducks were eventually able to use their remarkable team speed to capitalize on an attack-oriented strategy and blow open the game, going up 9-1.

Wendt finally answered for OSU when she scored on a penalty shot to close the gap 9-2. UO then ended the first half with three more goals to go into half time up 12-2.

In the second half, freshman standout Jessie Wright attempted to rally the Beavers. She scored three of the Beavers' five second half goals

The Ducks, though, used their superior speed and size to keep the Beavers at bay and pull out the win.

Despite the final score, Wendt found much to be encouraged by.

"We scored the most points against UO than I think anyone has in a long time," she said.

"UO is on the upper tier," said Megan Jacobson, the club's president and captain. "They have a lot of girls who played in high school and they've won the league the past few years in a row."

The final match of the tournament, played at 1 p.m. Sunday, produced the Beavers biggest win, when they triumphed over Willamette 16-9.

Initially, the Beavers had trouble maintaining a lead, allowing Willamette to tie the score at 3-3 and pull within one, 6-5. However, a late offensive surge put them up 9-5 before the break. The Bearcats never seriously threatened again and the Beavers pulled out the 16-9 victory.

Such initial success has brightened hope for Jacobson.

"This year we really wanted to have a winning record and get into regionals," she said.

Jacobson, a junior in zoology, hopes that with greater success will come greater recognition and hopefully a better understanding of those that choose to play.

"A lot of people think we're kind of 'butch,'" she said. "They often think women's lacrosse is just as violent and full of contact as men's lacrosse."

Wendt agrees and notes that the violence associated with the sport can rebuke many who might otherwise watch women play,

"We don't hit as hard, we're not as violent, but we still try to be pretty aggressive," Wendt said. "We play in kilts … some people like that."

Because of the lack of funding, the club cannot afford a coach, which is something that Bryan Alexanderson, a graduate with a degree in music and a fan, would like to see remedied.

"I want to see them get some kind of central leadership and more girls on the team so they have more to choose from." In addition to this, Alexanderson also pointed out, "they don't have the means to do any recruiting, it's all just word of mouth now."

Wright agreed, "I would love to have a coach just so there's more organization and there's one person who's in charge."

Jacobson added, "we fundraise some, we also have our own MU account, and a budget with Dixon Rec Sports, which is part of a fund that OSU has for the Rec sports. Every sports club is allocated a certain amount based on need and we basically have to argue our need every year."

Jacobson encourages those who might be interested or who have experience to try out. "Just come to practice, the times are on the Dixon Rec Web site. We encourage people to come out, they can even rent equipment through Dixon."

For the moment, the players will try to focus on what they can control.

"Right now we're just working on the game," Wright said. "The fans will come later."