A new sport was introduced to the Plain Local School District just seven short years ago. It wasn’t only new; it was unexpected as well. Girls’ lacrosse happens to be the sport.

The GlenOak Girls Lacrosse Team has not been running for very long, causing it to not always have the advantages other sports might have. It is also one that most students do not know much about besides what a lacrosse stick looks like. 

Kaylee Nestich is a junior who has been playing lacrosse for the past three years. 

“Being on a ‘newer’ team has presented a couple challenges, one being how we just got our permanent coaches,” Nestich said.

Due to being in such a youthful group, it took a while to get coaches who would actually stay. Until recently, the girls would constantly have a different coach each year. 

Another challenge is how other sports tend to get priority over the girls lacrosse team in spaces such as the weight room or the auxillary gym.

“More popular sports like football or baseball get so much more respect and attention then we do,” Nestich said.

This does not change the way the team works together or has grown overtime. 

“When we play, it looks like we’re playing as a team,” Nestich said. “Where in past years it looked more like individual girls playing, which is something really exciting.”

Zoelle Myers is a senior who has played lacrosse since fifth grade, and has seen change in the way the new players act.

“Last year, I played with the same couple of people that I have with for my whole career,” Myers said.  “Now that they have graduated, I’ve seen the younger generation come in and be eager to grow the program.” 

Not only are the high school players ready to go, so are the kid players.

In fifth grade, “club lacrosse” can be joined. A club team is one that is not recognized by the school as a sport.

The kids have not been stopped by this though. Instead, it is making them work harder.

“I see a lot of the younger kids having ambition to try this sport,” Myers said. 

In comparison to younger groups, the high school team has grown in closeness.

Michael Soyers is the head coach along with assistant coach Megan Rea, and other assistant coach Alexis Pochubay. Rea has been coaching lacrosse officially for seven years, but has only been coaching GlenOak for two.

“Last year the team was not an entire unit when we started the season, and now the team all spends time together outside of lacrosse on their own accord,” Rea said. “Anyone who has ever been part of a team knows how important trust and support is in a team’s success.” 

Trusting the other teammates leads to better playing on the field, which is important in a team sport.

“Coaching a newer team has been a whirlwind,” Rea said. “It’s definitely been difficult to build a team and culture from the ground up, but it’s incredibly rewarding to see the things we’ve set in place pay off.”

It can be hard to be a new team, especially in a women’s sport, but it is worth the effort.

“It’s tough to be a woman in sports, especially when your team is still in its developing stages,” Rea said. “This team puts in more time than people realize and deserves all the credit in the world.”

The girls lacrosse team works hard each year to be the greatest they can be. The players now are setting the foundation for many generations to come.