On March 19, 2023, Starfire Sports Complex was crowded with fans cheering on their fellow girl’s lacrosse players at Roosevelt and Seattle Academy as they fought for the Washington State Championship. The game never lost intensity, with endless sprints, interceptions, and phenomenal plays. But as time passed, Seattle Academy pulled away, and victory seemed inevitable. While Roosevelt realized winning was out of reach, they also realized they were walking away with a historic season.
Since 2006, Roosevelt Girls Lacrosse has been fighting for a spot in the WA Girls Lacrosse Championship. Last season, they finally made it.
But that sort of journey doesn’t come instantly or without effort. So what exactly did it take? Was it a coach or a player? A drill or a game?
I talked with junior players Carly Katzman and Clementine Neumark to find out what it took for Roosevelt’s lacrosse to go from Metro-League underdogs to the podium in the Washington State Championship.
Katzman is Roosevelt’s star lefty attacker who has played on the Rough Riders for two years. During her first year, the team placed 17th in state, one spot away from qualifying for playoffs. She explained that her first year on the team lacked the formation of rhythm and relationships due to injuries. Additionally, since she does not attend school with most of the girls on the team, getting to know them and creating connections on the field meant work. But this all changed when Roosevelt recruited a new set of coaches, Devin Hursey and Caitlyn Hughes.
Devin Hursey played lacrosse at York College of Pennsylvania and was named a Second Team IWCLA All-American in 2019. Caitlyn Hughes also played lacrosse at Stevens Institute of Technology and now coaches Roosevelt and Cityside Lacrosse Club. Hughes and Hursey’s coaching built Roosevelt Lacrosse into a team of confident players who work together and highlight each other’s strengths, but it wasn’t always easy.
Due to Roosevelt’s struggle in previous seasons, how would these coaches approach arguably the most daunting challenge in sports: turning around the mindset of players who have been unable to feel successful despite their endless efforts.
Katzman recalled a flashback from a practice early on in their season when the coaches asked, “What are your goals for the season?” After they went around and shared, the coaches were surprised that none of them said “to go to the state championship.” Katzman and her team laughed at this, but little did they know it would become a reality before many of them graduated.
Katzman’s teammate, Clementine Neumark, who has been on the team for two years, is a solid defensive asset on Roosevelt. Neumark explained that the coaches came into the season to make this team champions. From the beginning of the season, the coaches knew Seattle Academy would be the ones to beat. Their motivation came not only from the title of being state champions but also from the personal relationship between two coaches at Roosevelt and Seattle Academy, who were college roommates during their lacrosse careers. Although this was mainly for simple bragging rights, it gave the coaches more reason to push this team to the top.
Hughes and Hursey always gave each player the confidence to get on the field and play their best lacrosse. The team created plays utilizing everyone’s specialties to develop a robust, dynamic defense and offense. From the get-go, Roosevelt started their season well and continued to build team chemistry, which would be crucial in the championship.
However, as they all say, success does not come easy.
During one of Roosevelt’s last games before playoffs, they played a game against Seattle Prep that led to a tectonic shift in mentality. They had lost the crucial match for their seeding into the playoffs and were filled with regret, knowing they could have performed better than they did.
Katzman emphasized that the practice after this loss felt endless.
After doing ground balls for an hour, their coach had them sit in a circle with their eyes closed to rethink what they wanted out of this season and what they would do to play for their team. From then on, the team came together on their motivation and realized that they owed it to their seniors to give it their all and never give up.
They went on from this, valuing every play and every possession to ease past Mount Si in their last game before playoffs. Due to their loss against Seattle Prep, their seeding brought them back to play Mount Si again, but the Rough Riders again took care of their business and marched into the next round of the playoffs.
Against Woodinville, a formidable team with well-known skills and players, the ladies knew they would be in for a battle. But even after winning 15-12 in a nail-biting match, it was time for them to take on the two-time reigning champions, Mercer Island.
Neumark explained that everyone was nervous about this game because they did not think they had a chance against the Islanders.
As the two stellar squads slugged back and forth for four quarters, Roosevelt eventually edged Mercer Island by a single goal. Neumark said this was “one of the best moments of her life.” The team realized they had the skills and confidence to be state champions by beating a team that has consistently been dominant and highly ranked throughout the years. From this point on, they knew that anything was possible.
Overall, Katzman illustrated how surreal this season was for Roosevelt. In the future, she believes next season will be different because people will be aware of their potential. Neumark touched on the fact that she feels much pressure to play Mercer Island again because they want to win and showcase the success of public-school lacrosse teams.
Regarding their roster, they are losing their draw-taker and other prominent leaders on the team. Neumark feels things will be different but is confident that new leaders will step up and guide the team into this new era of Roosevelt Lacrosse.
Through this story, the importance of team ball and confidence comes to light. For a lacrosse team to succeed, each player must feel supported by their coaches and genuinely connect to everyone. By creating team chemistry, players can make connections on the field that lead to beautiful plays and fantastic team spirit.
Many teams highlight specific players and tell them to hold and take the ball to the goal. Every player should play lacrosse together, and each player should strive to make every person on the team look good. Team ball is the road to beating top teams and shows the beauty of the origins of lacrosse, which brings people together.
As the buzzer sounded and Roosevelt walked off the field at last year’s Washington State Championship, they recalled how far they had come since their coaches asked them for their goals at practice. Thanks to their coaches’ emphasis on confidence and team chemistry, Roosevelt’s presence in the State Championship was no longer a dream but truly a reality.
