Originally, the 2020 girls lacrosse season was supposed to begin on March 20, but with the current state of the coronavirus throughout Maryland and the United States, the season has been cancelled. This was a huge blow to a lot of the returning players, who sought redemption after losing to Damascus in the playoffs last season.

This was, to Jessica Mense, a junior with 3 years of varsity experience, the biggest challenge that the team faced this season aside from having fewer players.

“We didn’t really have any challenges other than the lack of numbers, but our season getting canceled was definitely a big blow.” Mense said.

Not only was the coronavirus disappointing for the players because it ended their season, it was also disappointing because it stopped the players from creating relationships, as Mense believes if the season was never cancelled, the team would’ve grown very close.

This season, the team was composed of a total of 15 players, compared to the 21 players the team had last year. This is 3 more players than the 12 that are required to be on the field in a game, meaning the team had 3 substitutes. The reason for the team having less players than last year is because multiple seniors decided to not try out for the team this season. The team had just 3 seniors on the roster for the 2020 season.

Although having less players may at first be seen as a disadvantage on the field, the players believed that this will work in their favor. 

“The biggest difference from last year is how small we are this year.” Mense says, “It was making us a lot tighter and there wasn’t any drama.”

Since multiple seniors did not try out for the team, returning players had to step up, and many new players, specifically sophomores, saw increased roles as well.

“Because we were so small we couldn’t afford to be lazy or not want to be there. It kind of forced everyone to step up in a way we didn’t need to last year.” Mense said.