Cabrini’s women’s lacrosse team only able to play three games during the 2020 campaign. 2021 becomes a new journey for the team. With an unprecedented cut to their 2020 season because of the pandemic, Cabrini’s Women’s lacrosse team is ready to start the 2021 season. The team is currently 0-2 with losses against Jefferson and The College of New Jersey (TCNJ).
In a normal spring season, the Women’s lacrosse would normally start at the end of January and they would have about four weeks of preseason and would even travel to Florida to spring training. However, due to COVID-19, the university was forced to go fully virtual for the first three weeks of the semester. It just wasn’t possible to accomplish this.
The normal season would have 17 games but because of the pandemic they currently only have six games scheduled not including the Atlantic Eastern conference tournament games.
Women’s Lacrosse hasn’t played a game in a year and like most teams, coming back has been a little hard.
“The hardest part to me has been trying to get back to my fitness level before the pandemic,” Kathleen Emche, senior early education major, said. “Even though as a team we trained together in the fall and I worked out on my outside of practice during the summer.”
With having only played three games when the pandemic hit last year, they didn’t know what to expect for the rest of the 2020 season. “When schools shut down, we were in shock,” Jackie Neary, head coach of Women’s lacrosse, said .”We thought we’d be back in two weeks,We had no idea that it was going to continue this long. I think we all just did the best we could.”
When the pandemic continued to happen throughout the summer members of the team stayed in shape as much as possible, even with COVID-19 restrictions. “Training for this season at home has not been easy. Gyms and fields were off-limits for a while, so it was just about getting out running, Even getting together with teammates has been a challenge,” Emche said. “I tried to keep my stick in my hand and do some wall ball or call a friend to play catch, I also try to find time to get to the field and practice shooting.”
With COVID-19 still around, there are rules the team has to follow to play. Although the team gets mandatory COVID testing once a week and during practice, they are required to wear masks.
Even with the setbacks, they faced with COVID-19, the team is excited and to get back on the field.
“I feel prepared for this season but not as prepared as years past. During past years, we would have had more out-of-conference games to help prepare us for the conference play. ” Shannon Angew, junior early childhood education major, said.” Because of Covid regulations, this season we only had a few out-of-conference games scheduled, and some were canceled. Playing harder teams out of our conference helps us to play better and helps prepare us for conference games later in the season.”
The team has high hopes and is excited for what the season has in store for them.
“COVID has taught me it’s ignited my flame or my desire to be a coach and Cabrini. I missed it so much last spring. And I lost that like I lost my identity. So I’m just so grateful to be back in Cabrini and coaching.” Neary, said.
