Back with Vengeance
Pacific lacrosse opened their season in the most memorable way possible‒‒ with Hanson Stadium covered in snow and slush. But the cold didn’t stop Pacific’s lacrosse team from gearing up against Eastern Oregon University on Saturday, February 15, with the Boxers winning the snowy, high-scoring battle 17-10. It was exactly the kind of start they needed to push them into the season with confidence.
The team is small in numbers, but makes up for it in their willingness to fight. “We have 16 on our roster this year, which is two less than last, but everyone on the team is bought in and ready to play,” Head Coach Brittnay Hartmann said with excitement. In their opener against Eastern Oregon, Pacific recorded a total of 32 shots, outshooting their opponent by 13 shots. Out of the 17 goals scored, junior Sarah Quade finished with six goals under her belt. Pacific also recorded 19 total draw controls as opposed to Eastern Oregon’s 12.
Some of the biggest changes to this team are the newest additions. Freshman Ellena Willingham was the second highest goal scorer during their opening game, claiming four out of the 17 goals, and is one of the main forwards to watch out for. The team also welcomed two new assistant coaches for this season. “We have an entirely new staff,” said Hartmann. “Alexa Jellison and I have coached the club for the past five years together and she is just a phenomenal human. I am really excited we finally got her over here to run our attack. We also got Marena Tharpe who just graduated from George Fox last year who will be running our midfield. She is First Team All-Conference and First Team All-Region midfielder with an excellent midfield mind that works both sides of the field.” Coach Hartmann will run the defense and goalies to round out the coaching staff, creating the perfect balance.
Looking ahead into the season there is a lot of uncertainty about what will come out of conference play this year, but there’s an edge of excitement too. “There is a lot of change happening in our conference and it’s pretty cool,” Hartmann shared. Specifically: Two new teams have been added to the Northwest Conference: Lewis and Clark and Pacific Lutheran.
Coach Hartmann is optimistic for their upcoming season. One of the biggest strengths that this team has is their team culture and chemistry. “As a team we came up with some values for our culture,” Hartmann began. “Some that we decided on were fun, integrity, and communication.” She explained that they plan to use their values to hold each other accountable and to continue to strengthen their bond. “I am a firm believer that you can’t have chemistry on the field and success on the field if you don’t have team chemistry off of it,” Hartmann explained. “Our team leaders have done a really good job of building that culture and getting people bought in.”
Pacific’s lacrosse team is more than ready for the challenges ahead and can’t wait to get their season started. “This year will be a grind, but the conference better watch out for us in the future years,” Head Coach Brittnay Hartmann concluded confidently.
This story was originally published in the Pacific Index, Pacific University's student newspaper. Used with permission.
