Corie Hack CM ’19 sure knows how to make a statement on the lacrosse field. Hack had the most incredible debut of her collegiate lacrosse career as Claremont-Mudd-Scripps took on the St. Mary’s Gaels on Saturday, Feb. 13, scoring almost half of the team’s 13 goals (five, to be precise), including the game-winning score for the Athenas in double-overtime. The final score was 13-12, with CMS (1-0) coming out on top to defeat St. Mary’s Division I women’s lacrosse team.
The Athenas had a strong three-goal lead halfway through the game when the Gaels made a major comeback to tie the game and pull ahead by one. Hack describes the game as being “back and forth, and very aggressive.” CMS wouldn’t give up, however, and managed to tie the Gaels 12-12 in order to force the game into overtime.
The first three-minute overtime period dragged by as both teams vied against each other, but the game remained scoreless. A second overtime would be necessary in order to determine a victor, and one thing was for certain: the Athenas weren’t going to walk away from this hard-fought game without their laurels.
Hack “really wanted to come out strong” in her first collegiate game, and she blew that goal out of the water the moment she scored the winning goal for her team.
“Lauren [Clubb CM '18] had a really good drive and dished it to me, and then I drove in, got fouled, got an eight-meter attempt, and scored off of that eight-meter,” she recalled. “I was so excited!”
This game was monumental for the Athenas, as it was the first time the team could test out their new defense and run plays against a real opponent. Hack emphasized her team’s defensive talent, chemistry, and communication in the team’s success on Saturday.
“We had never practiced our new defense against anyone but ourselves, so implementing our zone defense was one thing that we really worked on and got down in this game.” The Athenas’ strength lies in their ability to work together as a team, back each other up, and communicate strongly.
“[Clubb] helps us get her into offensive sets, is really good at assists, and brings the whole team dynamic together,” Hack said. Along with Clubb, Alex Savino CM ’16 is a huge asset to the team, controlling the field defensively with her presence.
Coach Lauren Uhr is also instrumental in the Athenas’ success; highly qualified and motivational, she returned to Claremont a little over two years ago after being the head coach at St. Mary’s for eight years. Her CMS teams over the course of three seasons compiled a 34-13 record. “Everyone loves her,” Hack said. “She always knows the right things to say, the right plays to call, and how to get us pumped up for the game.”
CMS has been working hard all preseason in preparation for their season, having two workouts a day and lifting twice a week in addition to normal practices, and their effort paid off in this first game and victory of the season.
The Athenas have big plans to apply the success from this game into their approach to the rest of the season. “To have our defense down like that is the biggest confidence booster moving forward, especially with our next game coming up against Pomona-Pitzer,” Hack said, smiling. “To know we can do that, and do that well, is a huge morale booster for the team … I just love my team, and I can’t wait for the rest of the season!”