Fresno State Athletics
Lacrosse Players Learning Quickly
9/25/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
Sept. 25, 2008
FRESNO, Calif. - Starting a new sport isn't easy. In May, Fresno State women's lacrosse coach Sue Behme wondered if she would even have 23 girls on the roster when the team took the practice field in the fall. Now two weeks into fall practice the Bulldog coaching staff has 29 girls, many of whom are being taught how to play the sport for the first time.
"We have some really good student-athletes," Behme said. "Anytime you learn a new sport there is a huge learning curve. There is a different kind of running and conditioning, let along you have to learn a new sport on top of it. The most pleasing thing is that they are not giving up. That is a testament to their will."
Of the 29 only six have even played lacrosse. That doesn't faze Behme and her staff as the players are excited and eager to learn the game and be a part of history in being the first lacrosse team at Fresno State.
"This is something new and an opportunity to learn a sport that has been brought over from the East coast," newcomer Amira Ferreoo said. "All I knew about the sport was that there was a stick and a lot of running. It is always constant, on the go and fast paced. It's exciting and a great experience."
Another player who has stepped onto the lacrosse field for the first time is Aja Scheuber. Last year Scheuber was a member of the Bulldog softball team that finished the year ranked No. 15 in the country.
"It is completely different than playing softball," Scheuber said. "It is a lot quicker and everything is different than what I am used too. It's a great challenge but a lot of fun."
Scheuber and many other players on the team are excited about setting the foundation for future Bulldog lacrosse teams.
"It is cool to think that I will be able to look back in the future and say I was a part of the very first team," she said. "We are still learning the basics of the game but each day is getting better and we are catching on so quickly."
Catching on they are.
The Bulldogs are on the practice field by 6 a.m. Monday through Thursday and Friday they practice in the afternoon. Each training session has consisted of teaching the basic fundamentals to the team. In a recent practice the coaching staff showed the team game film of the Division I women's lacrosse national title game.
As the team was watching the film, Behme noticed things starting to click with her team.
"They were like `I am almost there with my throwing and catching,'" Behme said. "They are so positive because they see we are making baby steps and now they have something to compare it too in the big picture."
Fresno State officially kicks off the season February 7 when they host Cal at Bulldog Stadium.
"Join the State - Fresno State!" - The `Dogs head south to the Rose Bowl for a non-conference match up with UCLA on Saturday, September 27 at 12:30 p.m. If you can't make it to the game, watch it live on ABC. The `Dogs next home game is Saturday, October 4 as they battle Hawai'i at 7 p.m. To purchase tickets, click on the tickets icon at the top of this page, call the Bulldog Ticket Office at (559) 278-DOGS, or stop by the Bulldog Ticket Office.
