'Lacrosse'-ing the bridge to success

Given the women's lacrosse team's history of inconsistency - including a 1-15 season a year ago - rookie head coach Angela McMahon has spent this preseason instilling discipline and motivation in her players.

A former star player at Northwestern, McMahon has been relentless in her attempt to transform the program's losing culture into the championship level that she has become accustomed to, noting the importance of positive coaching and creating a competitive atmosphere.

"There is always a winner and a loser," McMahon said. "In practice we try to make that clear. We play little games and try to make the team more and more competitive."

This way of thinking has reached the players, who are excited to be led by a coach with a winning pedigree. They are eager to put last season's struggles behind them and become competitive in the Big East immediately.

"A huge difference this year is that practice is always intense," said goalie Jenna Moulton, a two-year starter who will anchor the defense. "She never lets people slack off in practice. You need to bring your 'A-game' everyday."

An increase in the team's intensity on a day-to-day basis should garner positive results during the season, as McMahon said, "We will be preparing just as hard, if not harder, than every team we play. That's definitely an advantage."

"She has high expectations for our team and refuses to let us settle for mediocrity," said Whitney Michele, one of the team's captains. "She makes us better through her coaching, teaching and from playing with us."

Junior midfield Laura Eichert echoed Michele's thoughts, saying "The biggest difference from last year to this year is our attitude. [McMahon] has prepared us so we expect to win."

In order to do so, they will lean heavily on a talented group of attackers, led by Michele, Kim McGinty and Katy Ryan, who provided bright spots in an otherwise gloomy 2008 season.

"Hopefully, we'll score a lot of goals," McMahon said. "Our first few games are going to be all about ourselves, playing our game and minimizing turnovers."

While McMahon stressed the importance of execution on the field, she also noted the pride she takes on seeing her players succeed in the classroom. During the fall semester, the team had a cumulative GPA of 3.3, which McMahon excitedly added was "the highest of any team at UConn."

"She has made it known that what we do on and off the field makes a huge impact," Moulton said. "Not only about doing extra work for lacrosse, but also making sure school work is the best of our ability, and our social lives aren't like a typical college student's."

The team has carried itself with an increased importance in several disciplines, including giving back to the community, a commitment to the team, being accountable for their actions and "redefining cool," which McMahon referred to as "not settling for the typical lives of 'any other student.'"

After months of seeing McMahon's philosophy pay dividends on the practice field and in the classroom, the team is ready to get the regular season underway.

"Our coaches have given us everything we need in terms of preparation," Michele said. "It is up to us, as a team, to put the skills and knowledge we have acquired in the past few months to use."

The team's first opportunity to test its new skills - and confidence - is this Saturday against Vermont at 1 p.m. at George J. Sherman-Family Sports Complex.