Keith Mader
Sports editor

Linfield suffered a loss to Northwest Conference lacrosse rival University of Puget Sound on March 8.
The ’Cats achieved an early lead, scoring the beginning four goals, but UPS attacker sophomore Sofia Lama scored four quick goals to tie the game at six. From that point forward, the Loggers didn’t let up.
“We were on defense a lot, and we needed to make stops in order to transition to offense,” senior midfielder Michelle Dorris said.
After the second loss of the season, the Wildcats hope to remedy fundamental problems.
“After the game against UPS, we have shifted our focus to working more on one-on-one defense and maintaining proper body position,” Dorris said. “We have also worked on being more aggressive with the draw and improving our transition through the midfield.”
Senior attacker Sammy Smith scored four goals in the game and sophomore attacker Carie Caouette tallied three.
“Sammy is our veteran on offense and will be a consistent player for us this year,” Dorris said.
With the slow start to the season, Dorris says that the team is becoming more cohesive.
“We are a young team, and we are still getting used to how each other [plays],” Dorris said. “Through our games and our practices, we are starting to come together and play as a team rather than individuals who happen to be wearing the same jersey.”
The team remains optimistic and looks forward to the remainder of the season.
“We played two very good teams that are fundamentally sound. In each of the games, we lost in a 10 to 15-minute window,” Dorris said. “I am not worried about the season. I think that we have a great team this year, and we are working hard every day to get better. We have one more shot against UPS that we are looking forward to.”
The team expects success in the future.
“We have a tough schedule ahead of us, but I predict a win tomorrow against Pacific. If we play like we did on Sunday, I have no doubt that we will be victorious tomorrow. We have to give 100 percent for 60 minutes. We can’t just give 100 percent for 50 or 45 minutes; we have to work hard the entire game,” Dorris said.
The lacrosse team takes on Whittier College, at 7 p.m. March 20 in Whittier, Calif.