UCI Women's Lacrosse Weathers Storm to Win Home Game

The UC Irvine Women’s Club Lacrosse team won thei

r last home game of the season against Grand Canyon University with a score of 7-6 on Sunday March 1st- -but not on their home field.

Due to the unexpected rain over the past weekend, the team was unable to play their final home game on the Anteater Recreation Center fields as usual since a game on the wet grass would have damaged the fields. Instead, the game was moved in just one day to the turf field at St. Margarita Catholic High School.

The move was somewhat upsetting for members of the team because the last home games are typically their senior night where senior players are celebrated and recognized for their contribution to the team before they graduate.

Photo Courtesy of Savannah Todd

This year, a total of five key starting team members are graduating including their club president and center Jacqueline Bishop , goalie Lilian Vanegas, attacker Jenna Weinstein, defender Amy Yuan, and midfielder Diana Toscano.

“I would have loved to play my last home game on the field where I spent the last four years training and playing but things happen. What’s important is that we go out there and win today.” said Bishop.

And that they did. At 11:00am the players took their places on the field and battled it out for nearly an hour and 30 mins. The UCI Anteaters dressed in white and the GCU Antelopes dressed in black were close in points the entire game as 31 fans cheered from the sidelines.

“ LETS GO EATERS !” friends and family shouted throughout the game.

The Eaters were up 4-3 when the scorekeepers called for halftime. Unfortunately because they were at a different location, the officials had no horn to call for halftime and were forced to shout to be heard. The Antelope players were unaware that time had stopped and kept playing. They scored a goal that the referees still counted which caused a major upset both on the field and on the sidelines and left the teams tied going into the second half.

During the second half the Antelopes pulled further ahead with two more goals. The Anteater’s strongest midfielder Kendall Walker scored three more goals placing her team up by one point. The team decided to run out the clock to solidify their win but lost possession of the ball with two minutes remaining in the game. When the Antelopes failed to surpass their opponents that ball was turned over in the final 30 seconds. The Eaters held onto the ball for the remainder of the time and won giving them their seventh win of the season.

After the game the UCI team gathered together and the underclassmen began giving flowers and posters to their senior players. The five seniors stood with their backs to the team and turned around at once to see the neon posters with their names decorated on them. One by one they were called forward and handed their gift before they all scrambled around taking photos with one another during this emotional moment. The team then celebrated their victory at Stonefire Grill for a final team lunch together.

“I am very proud of this team and sad to see such wonderful players leave, but we know you’re going off to bigger and better things. It was a pleasure coaching you all,” said head coach Robert Mezeul.

All in all the UCI Women’s Lacrosse team managed to host a game through rain and location changes. Despite last minute mishaps and a challenging opponent, the women still pulled out another win and made their seniors last home game one to remember.

The team ended their season with a win loss record of 8-3 which is a major improvement from last seasons record of 3-5. Out of the 28 players on this years team, only 12 have had experience playing lacrosse before college.

“I love this sport because it’s fast paced, it involves a lot of teamwork, and yet it’s still very personalized. Your stick, your strings, your shooting style, dodges, and everything about how you play is your own but you still need to work with your team to win.” said game representative and attacker Alicia Garcia.

This season the girls worked out harder than ever in preparation for their games with the help of their new coach Robert “Bob” Mezeul. They worked well as a team and introduced many new player to the world of lacrosse. Unfortunately, they were just two wins away from advancing into playoffs.

“These girls are all talented and dedicated athletes so I know we’re bound to get better. We really learned to work together and played better than I had expected. I’m really looking forward to next season.” said Garcia.