Battling for the ball, running up and down the field, and scoring goal after goal, the Bowie girls’ lacrosse team dominated the Anderson Trojans. The Bulldogs lacrosse team had the opportunity to play multiple games during the Texas Best tournament.
Getting an opportunity like this isn’t something just given to anyone; it must be worked for. Teams play multiple qualifying games and get spots to attend the fest. Junior Sadie Dauterive gave insight into the route a team travels to get a chance to play at the festival.
“In the fall, we participate in various tournaments around the city, and Texas Best is one of those opportunities that we go to,” Dauterive said. “Our team enrolls in these qualifying games to help build the team up and give us game opportunities in the preseason.”
Playing in the three games was a great opportunity for more exposure, according to Dauterive. Players get the chance to be seen by college coaches who are recruiting players. She believes playing well in these games is important to future commitments.
“We played very well during the games at the tournament. Even though we didn’t win our games, it was a great chance for our team to learn,” Dauterive said. “We always have a lot of new players that have never previously played lacrosse, so the tournament lets new players have games to learn and develop.”
These early-season tournaments are important to the lacrosse team because they think they are a good way to help build up team chemistry, while getting to play teams they wouldn’t normally play during the season. According to junior Drew Marquart, there were many top high school teams at this tournament, and playing against them helped improve the team.
“We were all working very well together, even when playing really good teams,” Marquart said. “We did very well for one of our first tournaments together.”
Having a positive and open mindset is very important when going into a game, according to The Mental Game Clinic. Furthermore, shaking off the nerves early in a game can help benefit the team’s overall performance.
“We were all a little bit nervous and tired because it was very early in the morning,” Marquart said. “Other than that, we all wanted to be there and play, so we all worked our hardest and did our best.”
According to Marquart, because of the hard work and dedication from the players, there were many good goals from standout players during the tournament. Many players stood out and helped lead the team close to a victory.
“Harper Pardue and Sadie Dauterive played really well that weekend. Sadie scored a really great goal to tie the game up near the end,” Marquart said. “They seemed like they knew what they were doing. Sadie has a lot of experience in the field, and it has helped the team a lot. She scored at least two goals in our Saturday games and another one in our game on Sunday.”
These tournament games at the event were slightly different from a normal lacrosse game. The tournament games had shorter quarters compared to a regular-season lacrosse game.
“Because of the shorter quarters, the speed of play of the game picked up,” junior Clarey Warstler said. “Everyone needed to be aware of the time clock because some of them might not have been used to it.”
The sport of lacrosse is similar to many sports in terms of rules and plays. Lacrosse games have 12 players from each team on the field, and are divided into attack, midfield, and defense. However, unlike most sports, lacrosse players are allowed to play behind the goal, and they have rolling subs, meaning they substitute players while the game is still in play.
“I like being able to play behind the goal because it lengthens the field and allows for more space to move around and play,” Dauterive said. “The rolling subs are a good thing because they keep the game moving and allow players to stay more locked into the game.”
In lacrosse there are many different formations a team can play, including a 2-3-1 triangle, which is two players up top attacking, three players leading the midfield, and one player behind the goal. Different formations highlight the different strengths in a team.
“We played in a 2-3-1 triangle which is a more attack style formation,” Dauterive said. “This has benefits of having more players able to score goals, but a drawback is that it leaves the goalie and the one defender very vulnerable to counter attacks.”
Weather conditions can play a big role in games, according to Marquart. She explained that if the conditions of the game change to rainy, windy, cold, or hot, it could impact the game positively or negatively.
“It was raining at first at the tournament, which made the fields super slippery to play on. This sort of hindered our performance at the start,” Marquart said. “It got hotter later in the day, and it was nice outside, which allowed the team to not slip on the turf anymore.”
The lacrosse team plays in the Texas Best tournament every year, always having games the weekend before Thanksgiving break. However this year differed from prior years including time of play and team spirit.
“Last year was a fun tournament but this year had a different energy and made the tournament even more fun than usual,” Dauterive said. “We played a weekend early which allowed more people to attend since no one was missing for Thanksgiving, so I believe that’s what helped lead us to success.”
Now done with tournament play, the next step for the Bowie lacrosse team is working towards season play. Dauterive is looking forward to a successful season, as many players are new to the team.
“During fall ball, which is our pre-season, we have prepared a lot for the spring when we have our real games,” Dauterive said. “With all our preparation, we have developed a lot as a team and hope to go into the season strong.”
