Bryan Cole / The Collegian
Even with a 19-0 loss, the new women̢۪s lacrosse team pulled positives from first game
It was history in the making Saturday afternoon for the Fresno State women̢۪s lacrosse team at Bulldog Stadium.
Despite losing the program̢۪s first official game 19-0 to Cal, the Bulldogs were happy with the team effort, fan support and overall environment of the game.
“We had some really great positives today,â€Â said head coach Sue Behme. “It was just great to get out there and play the game for the first time here.â€Â
It looked as though the ̢۪Dogs were going to be competitive early, as senior Molly Sovacool won the opening draw of the game setting up the team̢۪s first possession.
Battling hard, the Bulldogs weren̢۪t able to connect offensively and the Bears got on the board five minutes and 34 seconds into the game.
Bryan Cole / The Collegian
‘Dogs put up a second-half fight
Cal’s Alyse Kennedy, a junior midfielder, scored the game’s first goal on Fresno State goalkeeper Diana Aguilar.
After the first goal, Cal continued to rack up the points and the Bulldogs didn̢۪t seem to have any hope of making a comeback.
The Bears were relentless, scoring a total of 12 goals in the first half, despite the fact that Fresno was able to hold them scoreless the last nine minutes and 35 seconds of the half.
“I told the girls today that I have never lost this big,â€Â said Behme. “You never want to lose by that much, but if I had to lose like this, I wouldn’t want to do it with any other team than this one.â€Â
It took Cal only 58 seconds to score its first point of the second half, and again it was Kennedy leading the attack and making the play.
“We didn’t come out expecting to lose today,â€Â said Sovacool. “We just wanted to play hard and make them play hard.â€Â
Vail Horn scored the Bears̢۪ final point, with 11 minutes and 39 seconds left in game.
Bryan Cole / The Collegian
Paving the way
Behme was really proud of her team̢۪s effort towards the end of the game when Cal was stalling, letting the clock dwindle.
The Bulldogs were able to cause several turnovers and slowed down the Bears̢۪ rhythm.
“We’ve improved so much, but there are still things we need to work on,â€Â said Behme. “We have to work on getting the ball out of the backfield and getting groundballs.â€Â
Behme said the team has improved tremendously since starting practice in August, but even more in the four days prior to the game.
In the team̢۪s scrimmage against Cal on Feb. 2, the Bulldogs didn̢۪t win any draws and according to Behme were only able to move the ball to the offensive end a couple of times in the game.
Saturday, the Bulldogs were able to gain a little more rhythm, putting together several offensive attacks and winning draws.
While the score wasn̢۪t indicative of what the game meant to the team, they were pleased with the experience.
“We are paving the way for lacrosse here,â€Â said Sovacool. “This is everything we expected it to be and more.â€Â
Bryan Cole / The Collegian
Attendance at the game was also a major plus for the program.
More than 1,000 fans filed in to watch the Bulldogs debut, and almost all stayed until the final whistle.
“It was really exciting to see all the fans out supporting us today,â€Â said Sovacool. “We just made history and the whole thing was just really exciting.â€Â
The Bulldogs̢۪ next game will be at Stanford on Thursday, Feb. 12.
The Cardinals are No. 18 in the NCAA pre-season rankings, and will prove to be tough competition for the still improving Bulldog squad.