SU Women turn heads at first ever Fall Tournament

The SU Women's lacrosse team finished its first ever Fall A&M tournament with a strong 2-2 record. SU started off the weekend at 8a.m. in the morning against defending league champion and rep to the national tournament, UT. It was the only game all weekend in which it was not raining.

The women played an exceptional game, keeping it close til the end, finally falling 1 - 7. The women had many chances to make their mark early in the tournament when several one on ones with the UT goalie were thwarted or missed the goal early in the game.

SU was never out of the game, and all girls played well. UT, understandably had better stick skills and controlled the ground balls. By doing so, they were able to control the tempo. The women left the game feeling good about the way they played, and looking forward to a rematch in the Spring.

The second game came against Austin College, one of the teams SU beat last year in its inaugural season. SU, in the rain, did what it could not do against UT, and controlled ground balls. SU jumped out to a quick lead, before AC came roaring back right before half-time within one goal. SU came out with excellent defensive play from Sarah Emslie and newcomer Lauren Shepard in the second half, and great D-wing play from Lisa Kay Foster and Dene Granger to pull ahead and take the game for their first win of the tournament 9-5.

The win set up a rematch of sorts with Baylor University, the team that SU beat in Waco last year in its first game ever. Baylor was ranked in the top 25 in the country when SU beat them. SU came out roaring with a lot of intensity, with several great shots, and controlling the offensive end for much of the first half. By half-time, however, Baylor had weathered the storm on the field and taken a 5-3 lead.

The second half saw the Lady Bucs slow down considerably as the rain and the feel of playing the third game of the day began to sink in. Baylor came out and controlled the tempo the rest of the game to finally win 8-4. Many players had an exceptional game, Newcomer Cauley Collum, 2nd home, and Brittany Kornmann both had great games, as did Ally McDonald.

Sunday morning, again, the Lady Buc's got to rise early and play the first game of the day against SFA to end their first tournament. SU jumped out to a quick lead with the first two goals of newcomer Aileen Mosele's career, and never looked back.

Everyone on the team got a lot of playing time, and SU pulled away to a 7-2 win by the time the clock expired. Many newcomers this year showed a lot of promise, and good things to come as they gained valuable experience for the upcoming season. Leslie Holloway, Caitlin Gantt, Anna Nau, to name a few all played well.

The returners all did a great job throughout the tournament, and it was good to see Nicole out there after her season ending injury in the first game of the year last year. 

Overall, the tournament left a great taste in the mouth of returners and newcomers alike, and a feeling of high hopes for the upcoming first full season in the TWLL in the Spring. The women have their eyes set on the playoffs in an unprecedented feat as a first year team. With hard work and team lacrosse, the Lady Bucs have the talent to do just that. It will be an exciting season, we look forward to seeing you on the sidelines.