An escape room tests a multitude of different characteristics. Whether it be problem-solving, teamwork or general communication, the not-so-leisurely activity is seen as a mental test for a group of individuals to share together with the hopes of being mentally rewarded in the end, all in the name of fun.
The Wappingers girls lacrosse program looks at it in a slightly different way. It’s competition with stakes on the line. Attackers, midfielders and defenders all group up to compete against each other to see who will come out on top. That exact thought process is partly why the team has found so much success recently and hopes to see even more with a championship on the line.
“We just found ways that we can spend time and interact with each other that also can engage skills other than just sitting around and talking,” senior Shannon Schuchat said. “We’re all so competitive but we also get really high stress so it’s super fun to compete with each other … it’s really fun to work together with your group for skills that are outside of lacrosse.
By the way, the midfielders won this season.
That blend of chemistry and competitive fire has served the Warriors well this season, boasting a 13-4 record reaching the program’s third straight sectional final. A deep team, Wappingers has had seven different players score at least 28 goals this season. That aspect has made everything else go that much smoother.
“At a point, some of us are getting face-guarded and the fact that we can do so much with a big player out of a game is cool to see,” senior Ava Feliciotto said. “It’s just so cool to see how successful we can be.”
Using that to her advantage Feliciotto broke the 300 mark in terms of career points earlier this season. It seems like every week someone different on the team is eclipsing some sort of career accolade. Giving off the same sentiment as many of the other girls do, she credits her accomplishments more to the others than just herself.
“It was honestly really special and I can’t even just give the credit to myself. I have like six other amazing offensive players that play behind me,” she said. “I just think we have such good versatility on the field and they make everything so easy.”
Goals, assists and saves tell the story of the game to most average viewers who aren’t as tuned in to the sport of lacrosse. It’s something this team has found plenty of. Though, like all sports, possessions matter behind the scene maybe more than anything else.
Along with a talented crop of goal scorers, the Wappingers program has an extensive unit responsible for faceoffs and draw controls. Getting team-wide success in that aspect and allowing student-athletes to interchangeably move to the circle is crucial when it comes to getting results.
“I didn’t realize until being on the circle these last two years how gritty you need to be and how hungry you need to be for the ball,” junior Brooke Cameron said. “Especially these better teams in the sectionals, just how important it is to value the ball. Everyone says the ball is gold, it’s the color yellow. I couldn’t agree with that more. It’s so important to have possession.”
As the cliché goes, offense wins games, defense wins championships. There’s a reason why that exists in the first place, though. It’s the most selfless, team-oriented aspect of any sport. More than skill, defensive success is predicated on pure effort and the will to win. Like the rest of the team and their respective roles, it’s something the student-athletes on this squad are extremely prideful of.
“The vibe on the defensive side is just amazing. We want to win, we don’t want any balls to go behind the net. We want it, it’s all or nothing,” said junior captain Grace Jesman. “We all want to win together, which helps so much.”
More than just finding chemistry on the field, there’s a true bond that brews in the program that will last far past the final whistle, whenever that is.
“It’s been so much fun because I know this will be our last time playing together,” Morgan Jackson said. “I felt it every time that we stepped on the field, that we showed up for each other. We could look to our left or right and know that someone is going to be supporting you and lifting you up.”
The end is objectively near for this particular group. Whether it be with the Section 1 Class A final coming up on Wednesday or later, the memories will last, but there’s still a goal in mind. This team finally wants to call themselves champions.
“We know what it feels like to lose but we don’t want that anymore,” Jesman said. “We just want to keep going because of the love for each other and we don’t want to stop playing lacrosse.”
This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Wappingers girls lacrosse blends talent, chemistry into section final
Reporting by Eric Decker, Poughkeepsie Journal / Poughkeepsie Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
