It was a wet and windy match for the Wildcats lacrosse team who fell to George Fox on March 5.

The ’Cats lost 15-4 against the Bruins scoring one goal in the first half to Fox’s seven and only three in the second half to Fox’s eight.

In the first half of the game, it was no surprise that senior Sierra Edgerly would be scoring for the Wildcats at 10:22 off of an assist from junior Chas Tittle. However, despite the Wildcats’ efforts, they were only able to take four shots in comparison to George Fox’s 18.

“Our communication started to break down. Since communication is the biggest part in any sport, this hindered our ability to work together,” freshman reserve Maren Geesey said.

Nonetheless, it was clear that Linfield had owned the field defensively with eleven saves in comparison to the Bruins’ four.

After watching the Lady ’Cats play, it was evident that their tenacity, persistence, and “Never give up” attitude is what allowed them to push through, even to the dying end.

In the second half, Linfield scored three goals–two of which came from junior Shelby Duarte and a single goal from sophomore Kelsey Dammerell.

Duarte scored back to back goals at time 18:58 and 17:45 while Dammerell scored the final goal of the match with 2:49 left on the clock.

But, it wasn’t over yet. The ‘Cats unfortunately dropped another match on March 9 in a battle against Kenyon College 18-4.

In the first half of the match, Linfield competed fiercely with junior midfielder Halee Helgerson scoring the second goal at time 23:04.

Linfield’s second and third goals both came from Duarte at the end of the first half at times 2:47 and 0:41.

Their final score of the match came in the middle of second half also from Duarte at time 14:35 with final score 18-4.

“Our small team is what makes us stronger. We are able to really get to know our teammates which helps with our chemistry on the field,” Geesey said.

While there’s no doubt that the Wildcats aren’t perfect, it is clear that their ability to work through obstacles appears to be seamless and natural.

Their teamwork, love of the game, and dedication to each other is one of their strengths and allows them to continue being optimistic about the season matches ahead.

“Our team’s strength is our ability to focus in practice and work hard during the whole game,” Geesey said. “We practice five days a week and are constantly in the racquetball room on our free time to improve our skills.”

Despite the hard losses to the George Fox Bruins and Kenyon College this week, there is no doubt that the Linfield women’s lacrosse team has a bright future.

According to Geesey, if the Wildcats can “trust their teammates and apply practice drills to the games,” there is no telling of their limits.

The Lacrosse team will next be going up against Southwestern University on March 15 at 1 p.m. and then Pacific University on March 18 at 5 p.m.