Bennie lacrosse putting conference on notice in inaugural season

Despite its establishment just this year, CSB lacrosse has already made its mark in Bennie athletics. The CSB lacrosse team is currently on a sixgame win streak, following their win over UW-Stout last weekend. The team, currently ranked No. 1 in the Midwest Lacrosse Conference (MWLC), secured its first ever home game win last Wednesday.

“I think the team has done better than anyone expected. It’s exciting to show what hard work we’ve been doing together and that it pays off,” first-year midfielder Ella Steinke said.

The CSB lacrosse team is the newest team for Bennie athletics, consisting largely of first-year and sophomore Bennies.

“With a lot of new players and having a young team, we are very happy with the success that we have been having. This is a team that is made up of strong individuals that are very competitive and hard working,” first-year defender/attacker Sami Hackley said.

Sophomore midfielder/defense Emma Osland agrees.

“As a team, we want to build a winning mentality whilst also having a strong team dynamic and a sense of comradery. With that said, this team is great, everyone gets along really well and we support each other both on and off the field, which I think is something that stems from the CSB community,” Osland said.

The team continues to be at the top of the MWLC and looks to continue their streak at the top.

“Since we have been doing a lot of traveling recently, I am excited to have a few more games here on our turf with a home crowd. With that being said, a personal goal I have is to stay undefeated on our home turf,” Hackley said.

The team also has a resounding goal of coming out on top at conference championships in the coming weeks.

“I would love to see us be the No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the conference, I know the team would like to accomplish that too,” Steinke said.

Since the team is new to Bennie athletics, there have been changes to player positioning and team structure to better benefit the entire squad.

“Individually, this season I have been playing a new position compared to where I was in high school and have been working hard to learn as much as I can and compete at the college level,” Osland said.

Many other players have also tried out new positions that they haven’t played before. The Bennies look to the coming weeks to continue to play strong both on their home turf and away.

“It is exciting to see the achievements that myself, my teammates, and the team has accomplished in the first half of the season, so I am excited to see what will come,” Hackley said.

The CSB varsity lacrosse team beat the University of Northwestern (Minn.) 8-4 Wednesday night. Hackley starred for the Bennies in the game, contributing four goals and an assist in the winning effort. CSB outshot Northwestern 29-19. After falling behind 2-1 after the first period, they outscored the Eagles 7-2 to take control of the match. The Bennies will take on Cornell College on Saturday at 1 p.m. in St. Joseph.