UWL women’s lacrosse emphasizing patience in debut season

It makes almost too much sense for lacrosse to be played at UW-La Crosse. And this year, it’s happening.

The university’s first official women’s lacrosse team is a couple games into their debut season under head coach Cassandra Berger.

Recruiting for this season was tough, she said. With women’s lacrosse rare in the area, Berger would usually have to drive two hours just to find programs she could recruit from.

Berger herself played at the college level at the University of Dubuque and is excited to build a program from the ground up as a head coach.

The wins might not be numerous this year, but this team is focused more on establishing a team culture that’s made to stay.

“I’ve learned within the last eight months that I have to be patient, as well as our team has to be patient with this process,” Berger said. “We just have to trust what’s going on right now. Every day is a learning opportunity.”

“It’s more just figuring out what people tend to do usually on the field,” senior captain Gabby Storin said. “That was the toughest part, but we’re figuring that out slowly.”

UWL scored just one goal in their program opener last week, but on Friday they scored seven goals in a 14-7 loss at Hanover College.

The Eagles have 15 athletes on the roster, and Berger said she hopes to bump it up to around 25 in a few seasons. She also hopes to get a youth girls lacrosse club going in the area.

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