2008 Woodie Awards
Captains try to alter losing mentality
Brian Hungarter
Issue date: 1/29/08 Section: Sports
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Staff Writer
You're sitting in the stands at Diane Geppi-Aikens Field, watching a fluid, tempo-controlling attack solidified by a pressure defense that's creating turnovers and out-working the opposition. They're anchored by the Big East Defensive Player of the Year and one of the top scorers in the conference. No one would imagine that this same team could possibly finish with just two wins against 14 losses.
Typically, teams coming off of down years -- sporting a lowly 0-5 conference record -- would lack confidence and teamwork. They usually forget what it takes to win.
This is not the case with the Loyola women's lacrosse team and their three veteran captains, Kristen Stone, Kate Filippelli and Colleen O'Keefe. They're determined to prove last season's performance was merely a fluke.
"We do not even think about last season," the senior defensive stalwart Stone said. "Last year was obviously a rough year and we learned a lot while gaining experience, but it is a thing of the past. We have moved on and we are ready to win."
According to the trio, this season is all about re-establishing a winning mentality in a program that has struggled since they were freshmen.
Loyola has failed to record a winning record since the 14-4 2003 campaign, so not even the seniors know what it's like to put a winner on the field.
However, while all members of that 14-win unit have graduated, the seniors can relate to the program's prestige because they were recruited during that successful season.
They remember thinking the wins would continue once they took the field at Evergreen. It hasn't worked out that way, but there's no way they want to leave Loyola without restoring some of that winning mentality. No class ever wants to be known as a weak link.
"The thing that sticks out in my mind as a freshman was the teamwork and how we played together," Stone said. "This season we have a lot of chemistry and need to realize that we win together and we lose together. If we play as a unit and are always supporting each other and working hard together, we will be successful."
After recording a victory in a scrimmage over the Wales National Team, Stone said this team is not far off from becoming a serious threat in the Big East.
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