Regis’s girls lacrosse team faced a familiar foe, the East Angels, the night of April 15 in a highly anticipated matchup. The Raiders put on a divine performance, eclipsing the Angels with a 12-3 victory. While the win was important for the team’s season, honoring the four year journey of this season’s senior captains meant a lot more for them.
“I absolutely adore this team,” senior defender Maeve O’Shaughnessy remarks. “I really trust to play next to them. It’s been amazing so far and I’m looking forward to rest of the season”
Before the game had started, O’Shaughnessy, attacker Emilia Calamari, midfielder Phoebe Rogala, and defender Kate Kieran celebrated their four years playing for this program. Each player was walked out by their families, while traveling through a tunnel of their younger teammates.
“We have a really good community; we’re all friends,” O’Shaughnessy adds “and even just seeing the amount of effort they put into senior night makes me really glad that they’re my teammates.”
Junior attacker Madisyn Jokerst, the only non-senior captain and lead scorer of the team, talked about what is so special about this group of girls, and what she’ll miss in her final season next year.
“I absolutely love my seniors” Jokerst explains. “This night was very very hard because I can’t believe the season’s almost coming to an end playing with them, but it is such an honer to play with all of these girls, and I couldn’t imagine playing with any better seniors in my life.”
This moment was special for all the players and coaches, but once the flowers were set down and all the photos were taken, the team instantly switched their focus back to why they were there in the first place: taking down an old rival.
The Denver East Angels have struggled to take down their foes for the last six years, and failed to again the 7th time. The first half was a competitive, ending with a score of 4-2 at halftime. The action quickly picked up however, as the Raiders came out of the break with a flurry of goals. They poured down eight goals on the Angels, including five form Jokerst.
“I think we just came out with a lot of energy,” O’Shaughnessy states “especially coming out of senior night. We were playing really scrappy, really aggressive and that’s what, I think, allowed us to secure the win.”
For this team, as Jokerst expands on, this win was all about the determination and drive of one another, something they emphasize year-long.
“Everyone was so celebratory, including on the sidelines” Jokerst comments. “Everyone kept cheering no matter what happened: card, turnover, goal, draw-control, and so on. We were always just together as a team and having this amazing energy.”
Every member of the team will describe what a beautiful night it was for the seniors, but they’ll also describe how their season is far from over. The Raiders still have their toughest stretch of the season on the horizon in their final six games, and they do not plan to take their foot off the gas pedal.
“We always expect playing hard and putting our best foot forward” Jokerst mentions. “No matter what happens, we’re always going to have this positive energy, stay grit, and being there for each other. I’m just really excited for the rest of the season.”
O’Shaughnessy recalls the team’s first ever appearance to the state championship last year, saying how making it back is the team’s only drive. But this time, they don’t plan on settling for second place.
“We go out and play every game as hard as we can and act as if it’s a championship game” she passionately explains. “We’re all just really dedicated. We make lacrosse our life for the season, and I think the results will show throughout the season.”
When asked what to expect for the rest of the season, she only needed to say two words:
“Hella Wins”
