Aloha!
More than 20 returning members of the ASU women's club lacrosse team will travel to the Hawaii Lacrosse Invitational, an event that features 16 club teams from the United States, Canada and Japan, from Oct. 27-29.
A wide array of competitors will travel to the island of Oahu to participate in the U.S. Lacrosse-sponsored event, including competitive club players, collegiate and former collegiate athletes, semi-recreational players and foreign players.
"It's a lot of fun getting to play lacrosse in such a beautiful place," senior midfielder Kerrilynn Gallagher said. "Not only is lacrosse really popular in the U.S., it's really exciting to see that it transcends the cross-cultural barrier [and] language barrier."
With organized social events and plenty of down time, the competition level of the tournament is about as relaxed as the atmosphere of Oahu itself, but there is still a lot to be gained from the trip.
"It's not that competitive yet," said senior midfielder Keely McCarthy, who is in her third year with the team and will serve as captain in the upcoming season. "We just get a chance to get back into that competitive mode and actually just see how other teams play.
"It gives us time to bond more with our players. We had the whole summer off. It helps us to get used to playing with each other in a game."
The returning players plan on passing along the sense of team built up by the trip to Hawaii to the new, less experienced players in the coming months of the preseason.
For the first time, the No. 21 Sun Devils will feature two squads, a Division I team comprised of experienced players, and a Division II team for less experienced and new players.
Both teams will compete in the Western Women's Lacrosse League, but only the Division I team can advance to the national tournament.
"The B-team can practice with girls learning the sport, while the A-team can practice with the girls who already have the skills to compete and get better as a team," senior defender Jill Gosselin said. "It's a hard transition for the new girls who don't get to move up [to the A-team], but it helps out the team tremendously when you can practice at full speed."
Returning players believe the split squad will allow new players to gain more on-the-field experience and learn the game much faster.
"It's not a hard sport to pick up," Gallagher said. "A lot of our players had never even picked up a stick before coming out. Actually playing can develop girls' skills and let them experience competitive lacrosse for the first time."
About 40 students are expected to play between the two teams, up from last year's roster of about 30. Returning members hope the advent of the Division II team will further increase the growing interest in the sport.
"It's easy to get frustrated when you're learning to play, and you've never passed before or played as a team," Gallagher said. "But when you have the fun-factor, girls come back. They never quit when they're having fun."
McCarthy said she encouraged students who are interested in playing to join the team in its open practices Mondays and Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Student Recreation Complex fields.
Reach the reporter at Nathaniel.Lipka@asu.edu.
