Women’s lacrosse club’s spirits can’t be damaged
Often cast in the darkness of baseball’s shadows, lacrosse is becoming more popular every season, especially women’s lacrosse.
The Idaho Vandals’ women’s club lacrosse team is fresh, young and accepting new players every day.
“We take girls of all skill levels, even girls who have never played before,” said Willow Vero, the women’s lacrosse club president.
File photo by Brenda Ely | Argonaut
The women’s club lacrosse team gathers after March a game against Washington State. The Vandals concluded their season over the weekend.
This season was a long journey for the Vandals due to low numbers that limited their subbing abilities. But they were able to host a large tournament this season, bringing in large schools like Washington for the first time in three years.
Freshman Arianna Georgallis said her favorite memory with the team came from this tournament.
“It was the first game for a lot of girls,” Georgallis said. “By the second game against Pacific Lutheran, we really came together. We had a lot of chemistry and it was nice to see everyone connected.”
The tough offensive wing acts as a transitioner, getting the ball from defense to offense, requiring her to run nearly the entire game. Unfortunately, due to an ankle injury, Georgallis had to sit out the last two games of the season.
Georgallis is from the Bay Area in California and has been playing lacrosse since her freshman year of high school. Her dedication shows as she continues to play lacrosse year-round, playing with a club team back home.
Dedication isn’t just seen on the field for this team either.
Sophomore Susanna Flesher, who has had a lacrosse stick by her side since elementary school, is also a tenor saxophone player in the Vandal Marching Band.
She said her favorite part of lacrosse isn’t necessarily the game itself, but the rich history behind it. Lacrosse originated in Native American tribes, and Flesher finds this intriguing.
“Women’s lacrosse is very much like the way the Native Americans first played it,” Flesher said. “It’s more about the ball and scoring than it is the physical part of the game.”
Flesher, who refers to herself as somewhat “derpy” at moments, is quite the stud on the field. Flesher plays attacker, similar to a forward on a soccer field, and is also the backup goalie.
“Our current goalie isn’t able to play in our upcoming games, so I have been practicing to be in there this weekend,” Flesher said.
Flesher got into the game of lacrosse at a young age, primarily because it ran in the family. The Caldwell, Idaho, native’s mom was the first women’s lacrosse coach at Caldwell High School (CHS).
Sophomore Brittany Warren, also from Caldwell, said she owes her playing to Flesher, who got her involved when she was a sophomore at CHS.
“I was really into basketball for a long time, but I just got to the point where I didn’t want to play it anymore,” Warren said. “That’s when Susanna introduced me to lacrosse.”
Warren is a lower defense player, and said she succeeds because of how similar it is to basketball.
“It’s a lot like playing in the lower half of the court, and the rules are pretty similar,” Warren said. “It made the transition easier for me, and I think that’s why I fell in love with defense.”
The Vandals concluded their season with games against the Montana Grizzlies and the Montana State Bobcats Saturday and Sunday respectively in Missoula.
The Vandals will pick up their sticks again in September, hopefully with a few more players by their sides on the field.
Wednesday Walton can be reached at [email protected]