By Riley Hemmer
The Louisville women’s lacrosse team may lack collegiate experience, but they do not lack grit, composure or confidence.
This was evident in their season opener against the No. 15 Denver Pioneers.
Coming into the game, little was expected of the Cardinals. The program had just graduated key players such as Nicole Perroni and Kokoro Nakazawa, both of whom were leaders on and off the field.
With eleven incoming freshmen, some of whom made their collegiate debut against the top-20 ranked Denver team, Louisville was simply playing for themselves.
Head coach Scott Teeter considered the victory a “great team win,” saying, “We came out of the gate firing, and had a great first quarter on both ends of the field.”
The first quarter gave the Cardinals the competitive edge they needed to defeat the Pioneers. Known for their speed and control, Denver has historically been the team to have a hot start, but that was reversed at U of L Lacrosse Stadium.
Senior goalkeeper J Pleck, when asked about her thoughts coming into the season opener, said, “This is something we’ve been working for the past few years… we came into the game with something to prove.”
Pleck had an outstanding performance against Denver, facing 37 shots from the Pioneers’ attack. The goalkeeper bench is deep for the Cardinals, so Pleck was ready for the pressure after earning her starting position during the offseason.
Louisville is set to face Cincinnati on Tuesday, Feb. 11, as they look to carry this momentum throughout the rest of the season.
Photo Courtesy // Rachel Klotz, Louisville Athletics
