Following their season-opening loss on the road, Augustana women’s lacrosse looked determined as they got a chance to play in their home opener against the Milwaukee School of Engineering Red Raiders. The Vikings were looking to make a statement against the Red Raiders, a team that defeated them last season 11-7.
Early on in the contest, it didn’t look too promising for the Vikings, as, after a quick score from First-Year attacker Becca Lacina, the Red Raiders would score five straight goals as they looked to repeat the result from last year.
It was then that second-year coach Jordan Tice, along with the Vikings’ co-captains, juniors Elena Bechard and Rachel Wylie and sophomore Captain Colleen Chiavola, decided to fire up their team. They called them together and explained the gravity of this early-season game, which junior Anna Davison points to as the shift in momentum the Vikings needed.
“We all came together as a team. Our coaches and captains sat us down and said, ‘This is the season-defining moment,’” Davison said. “That may sound silly with it being the second game, but it really did feel like it. It was really nice because after that, everything clicked.”
Everything did seem to click following that moment, as Augustana would go on a six-goal run, putting them up 7-5 at the start of the fourth quarter, highlighted by two scores from both Bechard and Chiavola.
The Vikings didn’t look back the rest of the game, finishing the night with a 10-6 victory over a team that had been circled on their schedule. When asked what had been the biggest change from the previous season, head coach Jordan Tice emphasized that their win against MSOE wasn’t due to chance but to a cultural shift.
“I think our biggest shift has just been our overall dedication to the program,” Tice said. “I think that everybody came in this year with the expectation of getting after it, wanting to be the ones to make the difference on the field.”
It’s safe to say that a difference has been made. Three games into the season, the Vikings have matched their win total from the previous year and have won back-to-back games for the first time in two years. The differences don’t stop there, as senior Karli Borsch noted how important their increased teamwork is as they enter the new season.
“I love how we treat it as a team sport,” Borsch said. “We win as a team, we lose as a team, we do it all together.”
The Vikings were able to carry that teamwork into their next matchup against Hamline University, defeating the Pipers 12-11 in another come-from-behind victory, rattling off six straight scores to take the lead with six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
Junior Madison Langewisch was one of the major factors in their win. She scored five goals, three of which in a row, to tie the game. As the game draws to a close, teams are likely to become more sloppy with their play as they tire out. Langewisch acknowledged the work the Vikings put in in the offseason to counteract that, and it has certainly led to their attacks being more effective at the end of their games.
“I think we’re most excited to showcase our conditioning because I feel like when the season started, we were kind of slow. Most of the time, when we get tired, our stick work gets sloppy,” Langewisch said. “I also feel like we want to showcase how we’re a better team this year. We have more players, more freshmen who know what they’re doing; we’re really just playing as a team.”
As the season progresses, the Vikings will continue to strive to improve after a year of struggle. With a second-year coach, several young players and a desire to win, it was only a matter of time before Augustana got eyes on the team. Chiavola and her teammates are excited to bring attention to a growing program.
“We just want to showcase what we have because we’re finally turning heads towards a program that didn’t have heads turning before,” Chiavola said. “It’s so exciting having a fanbase on campus and building that culture outside of just us.”
