Heading into their fifth season as a school sanctioned sport, the Becker girls lacrosse team has a lot to prove after finishing 6-5 in the regular season and losing to #3 seeded Delano in the first round of the Section 8 playoffs by a score of 16-14.
Steering the ship for the third year as head coach is Travis Opgenorth, who took over for Hugh Hovde in 2013. Opgenorth will have Allie Simkins, Allie Walberg, Kristen Polworth and 2013 graduate Kelsie Bursch assisting him as the team preps for the 2015 season. Bursch is coaching the JV squad and is currently attending SCSU.
Thirty-six JV and varsity girls are under Opgenorth’s direction and there is also two seventh and eighth grade teams as well as one fifth and sixth grade team.
Opgenorth has been coaching girls lacrosse for 11 years and says he still thoroughly enjoys his post.
“I love the kids and coaching them through the different steps of coming together as a family where they push themselves and encourage those around them to improve every practice,” he said.
For the last few spring seasons, the girls lacrosse team — as well as all of the spring sports teams in the area — have had a difficult time finding places and days to practice due to the dreadful weather conditions of the past two years. This year, however, has proved to be ideal.
“It looks like we are getting some decent spring weather and we can practice outside from the start,” said Opgenorth, whose team has just begun going full bore in practices this week.
When the weather gets questionable, the team seeks indoor refuge in the middle school gym where they work on conditioning, drills and passing and catching. Some of the other skills, like cradling the ball while running hard down the field, is a skill the girls have to practice over and over on their own time at their homes or at a local park or backyard.
Lacrosse is a sport similar to hockey, soccer and basketball. Like hockey, the teams can play behind the nets as the game is in competition. The size of the field is nearly the same as a soccer field and the way they play defense is similar to how basketball teams do it.
The team consists of: Chloe Madsen, Mckenzie Bursh, Mackenzie Opgenorth, Sarah Garding, Halle Lindsey, Laura Böckler, Allie Zimmer, Andrea Molus, Reilly Cencer, Jessie Charbonneau, Ruth Krisko, Jamie Ulsby, Catie Eisenreich, Olivia Hultgren, Kate Berning, Megan Dudek, Kaylene Kruse, Rachel Eisenreich and Kelsi Halvorson.
The girls hold their first scrimmage of the year today (Sat.) at Centennial then host the first regular season match of the year against Delano at 6:30 p.m. Friday night.
