Despite Loss, Fresno Happy to Make History
from press releases
Fresno State women's lacrosse made history Saturday at Bulldog
Stadium in its debut match against a veteran Cal team.
The Bulldogs came out strong winning the opening draw, but in the
end fell to the experienced Bears squad, 19-0.
"I am so proud of these young women," said head coach Sue Behme.
"They played so hard against this tough Cal team. This team
has improved so much since we began in August and even over the
last four days since our scrimmages."
For Behme, two moments stand out.
"We won the first draw of the game, came down the field and
possessed the ball," said Behme.
Molly Sovacool, one of the team captains, won that opening draw
and set up the Bulldog's first possession.
"The fact that we won that first draw and then did it again was
huge," said Behme. "We really showed up in those first 12 minutes
or so and that was important."
Sovacool agreed.
"We won the first draw of the game - we won the first possession
ever - and that was huge," she said. "We made history today, win or
lose."
Behme's other high moment came at the end of the game as Cal
attempted to milk the clock.
"Cal was holding the ball and we were able to get a stall break,"
explained Behme. "It's a pretty big field and the other team can
play keep away. The fact that we were able to get organized and get
those turnovers was huge. That's what experienced lacrosse players
do and we only have eight months under our belt."
Team captain Heather Jack, one of the few players with prior
lacrosse experience, was really excited with how much the team
gleaned from the match.
"We learned a lot today," said Jack. "It was fun to get out there
and play the game I love with my team. I can't wait to get back on
the field and play Stanford."
Behme agreed.
"Stanford is another notch up," she said. "The better teams
we play, the better we will get quickly. I can't wait to see how we
do against a Top 20 team like Stanford."
Nine hundred and twenty-eight fans turned out to support the
Bulldogs for the inaugural event. Average attendance for women's
lacrosse on a national scale is around 300.
"The fans were amazing today. Hearing them cheer us on and
support us was awesome," said Jack.
Director of Athletics Thomas Boeh was impressed with both the fan
support and the athletes themselves.
"It was very gratifying to see the way the student-athletes
represented us on this important occasion," said Boeh. "And the
enthusiasm from the spectators was impressive. It didn't matter
what the score was in this particular game, it was a victory for
Fresno State."
The Bulldogs travel to Stanford for the second match of the season
on Thursday, Feb. 12.
