By Zachary Waltz
Staff Writer
As the women’s lacrosse team continues to search for their first Atlantic 10 win, one laxer has provided a bright spot for the team. Sophomore attacker Jenna Schlagenhauf leads the team in goals with 36 and assists with 13, making her the team points leader. Her 36 goals place her seventh in scoring in the A-10, and she ranks 10th in points per game
The Clarence Center native scored seven goals in the past three games against George Washington, Richmond and Detroit Mercy. Schlagenhauf, a sports studies major, played in only five games, scoring two goals on three shots during her freshman year in 2012.
Head coach Ryan Lynn said Schlagenhauf’s hard work and more opportunities have allowed her to progress to the level of play she is at now.
“Honestly, we had a large number of upperclassmen last year, especially seniors,” Lynn said. “As a freshman, she didn’t fall into the mix. It wasn’t necessarily anything to do with skill but was more based on experience in her position, which is behind cage. Through her hard work last year, she built up her confidence. This year, we rearranged the offense and put her in a new spot, which allows her to showcase her talent.”
Jenna also credits her success to her hard work last year while not seeing much action on the field.
“I just never gave up,” Schlagenhauf said. “I didn’t really play a lot last year, but I didn’t stop working hard. I knew I would get my chance to play sometime, so I kept working hard and came out in practice strong every day.”
Lynn said it is exciting to have a player begin to shine during their sophomore year because it foreshadows good things to come for the next couple of years.
“We’re excited to have someone start standing out during their sophomore year,” Lynn said. “She’s playing at a very high level, so the next step is to tweak what she is doing now. That way, we can perfect her game and make her a stronger attacker. Our mindset moving forward is that she’s going to continue to excel mainly based on her work ethic. We know that she will put in the work this summer and come back ready to go in the fall, but it’s exciting to know that we have somebody playing at that caliber.”
Schlagenhauf plans to compete at an even higher level next year.
“I hope I can continue to play like this for the next couple of years,” Schlagenhauf said. “Hopefully I’ll only get better, and I’ll keep working hard during the offseason over the summer. I’ll come back next year just as strong, if not stronger.”
The Bonnies (6-9,0-5) have two more games this season against Massachusetts (13-2, 5-0) and LaSalle (9-5, 1-4). Lynn said UMass and La Salle will both present challenging matchups.
“UMass is always a challenging game,” Lynn said. “I believe they’re currently ranked 13th in nation, so they’re going to come in ready to play. They’re undefeated in the A-10s, but they’ve had a lot of close games. It helps build our confidence that they are a very beatable team this year.”
Lynn said the Bonnies remain confident in their matchup against La Salle.
“La Salle was a very competitive game last year,” Lynn said. “We were right there with them, but at the end of the game, they pulled away. Our girls are very confident.”
