Lacrosse season is right around the corner as the spring approaches and the Ashland University women’s lacrosse team is getting ready to kick off its 2024 season.

For the Eagles, the team’s first game is set for Friday, Feb. 16 at Ferguson Field as the team gears up to take on Maryville University. Leading the charge for the Eagles is Head Coach Lauren Simko, who looks forward to her third season at the helm.

“We have the goal is to be in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Championship (GMAC) game,” said Simko. “The last 2 years we lost in the semis, so we are working hard to be in that Championship game.”

With a tough conference schedule ahead, the Eagles believe their team chemistry is unmatched compared to previous years.

“We have a very challenging out-of-conference schedule that will prepare us for in-conference,” said senior defender Bri Doctor. “I am confident we will only keep improving with each game to take us to the conference championship.”

Doctor has not only praised her teammates for all the hard work and dedication the team has put in but also has confidence the team can take that next step forward.

“We [the team] have so much skill and talent, and we have all been working hard since the offseason to achieve our goal,” she said.

For the 2024 season, Coach Simko has brought in eight freshmen to the program with the goal in mind of reaching the GMAC tournament.

One of those freshmen is attacker Stella Parish, who is excited about the new possibilities with the team.

“[I] can’t wait to see the team’s hard work pay off and to be able to continue to be a part of a growing program that has the potential to be something special,” said Parish.

Both Coach Simko and Doctor believe each player has an important role on the squad, whether it is on the field or not.

“We have so many different amazing personalities that merge so well together,” said Doctor. “Everyone brings a unique greatness to the team which has led to such good chemistry on and off the field. We can be serious about the game when we need to be, but we never fail to have fun at the same time.”