12-11 Win Takes Lacrosse to Nationals
By Chrissy Hennenberg
Contributing Writer

In a surprising and suspenseful final home game on Saturday afternoon, the Pomona-Pitzer women's lacrosse team managed to pull off an unexpected victory. Coached by Angie Lovell and Suzanne Steiner, the hens took on Cal Poly San Luis Obispo's "B" Team, with whom they were tied for first in the league. With a final score of 12-11, the hens managed to clinch the Western Women's Lacrosse League Divison II South league title.

The Hens started off the first minutes of the game with possession of the ball but quickly gave up a goal to Cal Poly. Pomona-Pitzer recovered quickly with a goal by Marie Sullivan '05, and the score remained within one goal until midway through the first half, when the Mustangs rallied four goals to rack the score up 7-3 against the Sagehens. A Sagehen goal in the last few minutes before half-time stepped up the score 7-4. "Having fans and support really helped rally us to overcome the first half," said Ronnie Rebal '06, but the Hens came off the field frustrated with a score that they felt did not reflect how well they had been playing. Although the crowd was rowdy and encouraging, the score did not look promising as Pomona-Pitzer took the field for the second half.

"Once I saw the way we played in the first five minutes of the second half, I knew we weren't going to lose this game," recalled Jordan Bates '05 (PI). In a sudden outburst of aggressiveness and intensity, the Hens scored three quick goals in a row to tie up the score 7-7. The Hens and Mustangs remained neck-and-neck, as the score slowly inched up to 12-10, Pomona-Pitzer, with nine minutes left in the game. Cal Poly managed to score once more, but Pomona-Pitzer's defense held their ground. Low defenders Danielle Grant '05 and Jackie Mark '04 were instrumental in protecting the goal, with solid crease defense and quick groundball pick-ups. "Danielle always amazes me, and Jackie was super-intense, even getting a black eye for her work," said Svetlick '04. Goalie Martie Finklestein '06, the highest-ranking goalie in the WWLL, with 65 season saves, made several key stops in the final seconds to help the Hens hang on to a thrilling 12-11 victory.

"It's always tough to come out of the first half, down by a few goals," said Jenny Jaskewitz '05. "Luckily we managed to pull together as a team and really fight for the win we wanted." It was the final home game for seniors Jill McClelland, Beth Wilson (PI), and Heather Wilson (PI), all of whom were instrumental in clinching Saturday's victory.

The Hens came into the game against Cal Poly with a 5-1 league record. After an intense Western States tournament at Stanford University the previous weekend, they spent their final season practices preparing themselves mentally and physically for what they knew would be a tough match-up. "I think that the energy we put into preparing really helped, but when it got down to it, in the second half every single person on the team really played their best," said Rebal.

The team also hopes their division title will be a factor in determining their currently in-between status. Once a 5-College club sport, women's lacrosse split into separate CMS and Pomona-Pitzer teams three years ago, as a first step toward giving each team varsity status. This year was CMS's first season as a varsity team, but Pomona-Pitzer remains "club-plus"-they receive varsity funding but continue to play in a club league. Although the Pomona-Pitzer athletic department has assured the team that they are on the path to varsity status, the lacrosse women are still eagerly awaiting this change. They hope that their title will get them much-deserved attention and support from the department and the school.

The Pomona-Pitzer women's lacrosse team will go on to the WWLL Championships at UC Davis, Saturday and Sunday April 26 and 27.