By Tayla MacPherson
The University of Puget Sound women’s lacrosse team has started their season with a bang. The women’s lacrosse team won their first game March 5 against Linfield College (Oregon) 11–9 and one specific lady Logger stood out: Haley Schuster.
Haley Schuster is a senior from Arvada, Colorado. She scored five goals against Linfield on March 5, and four goals against Alma College on Feb. 28.
Schuster choose to attend the University of Puget Sound to experience a liberal arts atmosphere, accepting community and a variety of opportunities. She did not imagine her college plan would include becoming a star lacrosse player.
Schuster expressed her surprise and joy at starting off the season so explosively.
“Starting off this season with a bunch of goals feels better than I could have imagined; I never pictured the beginning of my senior year going like this! But I worked really hard to build up confidence since last season and it has already paid off well,” Schuster said.
Schuster started her Logger career off strong. In her first year on the team, the senior scored 12 goals and one assist in just 17 games. Her sophomore year she scored four goals in four separate games. Schuster struggled her junior year with confidence and field time. Yet this season, her confidence has skyrocketed, leading to her impressive statistics.
Senior Hailey Shoemaker (Portland, Oregon) speaks highly of Schuster and her capability to balance a fun and dedicated attitude.
“One of our big goals for this season is to maintain a positive attitude and not stay bogged down on our previous season. I think Haley has done an incredible job of doing that, especially as a senior leader. She is such a good balance of being focused, silly, funny and also showing what is means to be dedicated and work really hard. She is so passionate about lacrosse and the relationships on this team, but in a very humble and respectable way. She definitely leads through her actions,” Shoemaker said.
The women’s lacrosse team is comprised of nine underclassmen and eight upperclassmen, creating a perfect balance of players and experience. Five of the nine upperclassmen are seniors.
Sophomore Kathryn Hart (Corvallis, Oregon) explains the team’s goal regarding communication and chemistry.
“I think that we’re really working on fostering a positive and supportive team this year. We have a lot of returning players, which is awesome, so we have been really focused on our communication and team chemistry. Additionally, we are really trying to focus on conference games this year. We talked a lot at the beginning of the year about wanting to win conference games, and we’re off to a pretty good start,” Hart said.
In past season the women’s lacrosse team has not held a high ranking, but the team hopes to make it to the top of the Northwest Conference standings this season. As of now, the team is ranked second in conference under George Fox (Oregon). Schuster hopes to continue her momentum on the field by staying positive and working hard.
After having somewhat of an inconsistent junior season, Schuster is ready to keep her drive for the goal.
“I think that I’ve done a good job at staying calm on the field and really trying to think through each of my actions [and] have a lot [of] intentionality. I definitely move with more purpose than in any of my previous seasons. I’ve also been focusing on my midfield defense, and have seen some good come out of that. Another thing that has been essential is how well our team has been meshing together, being able to read each other’s next move and being in the right spaces for each other. Many of us have had at least one season together already, so the teamwork is coming a lot more naturally,” Schuster said.
If the women’s lacrosse team continues to have high levels of confidence and chemistry it will be a successful season for these Lady Loggers as well as a unforgettable last season for senior Schuster.
Hart described the team’s excitement and commitment for the rest of the season.
“This season, we are all really looking forward to building off of the successes we have had as a team and working to continue to grow. We have been working really hard in practices and it is starting to show during our games, which is really exciting. We’re definitely excited for the rest of the season.”
The Loggers are now 4-2 (1-1 in the NWC). Their next games will be at home against George Fox and Linfield on April 1-2, respectively.