The Plattsburgh State women’s lacrosse team (1-9) had a rough start to the season as they have lost eight straight games.
The Cardinals were at home for two games as they took on SUNY Geneseo (6-4) Saturday and then took on SUNY Potsdam (3-7) last Wednesday.
PSUC could not get anything going against the Knights as they were outscored 15-2 in the first half. The second half of the game didn’t fare well for the Cards either because they were outscored 5-1. The Cards were defeated 3-20.
Geneseo Hannah Marafioti led all scorers with five goals, and four of those goals were all in the first half.
PSUC freshman attacker Sammy Tanner led the Cards in scoring with two goals. Junior attacker Katelyn Mcglauflin also scored a goal.
PSUC looked to bounce back against the Bears but could not set the tone early as they were defeated 7-18.
Potsdam’s Cayla O’Connor led all scorers with six goals, with four of them coming in the first half.
Head coach Julia Decker said the team is focusing on improving every time they step out on the field.
“We are a first-year program,” Decker said. “Our goals at the beginning of the year were never about wins and losses. To say things haven’t been going well, yeah when you look at our record. they have not been well but over the last couple of games we have been improving.”
Mcglauflin said the team is working on learning to play as a team.
“As a first year team, it is tough to get a solid team dynamic,” she said. “In a way, we are meeting each other for the first time. Right now, it is tough to recognize people’s strength sometimes and be able to use that to our advantage.”
Junior attacker, midfielder and defender Leah Herman said keeping up team morale has been a key role in this week’s practice.
“We like to stress to never give up and work hard because at the end of the day, if someone is more skilled than you and they have a bad game, then your work ethic will outshine them,” Herman said.
The Cards are on the road for their next two games as they try to end an eight-game losing streak as they take on Brockport tomorrow and Clarkson University on Wednesday.
Decker gave the keys to secure the victory in the next upcoming games.
“Every team we face is a good team. We have to take care of the ball,” Decker said. “We have to hold ourselves accountable for making smart decisions, keeping possession of the ball, communicating and working together [and] having each other’s back when we do make mistakes. They are bound to happen over the course of the game, but what matters is how we are able to bounce back and make adjustments during the game and stay consistent.”
