Defeating a team 10-4 might seem like a good sign.
Yet despite beating Drexel by that margin last weekend, the women's lacrosse team wants to improve on playing a full 60 minutes when it faces California (2-2) tonight at Franklin Field.
After notching a solid 20 shots in the first half against the Dragons, the No. 6 Quakers (1-0) took only eight shots on goal in the second half due to offensive miscommunication.
"The top part of our attack was not in sync with the bottom part of the attack," coach Karin Brower said. "We've been working on that this week and hopefully we have that taken care of so that they are all on the same page."
This past week, the Quakers have dedicated a significant amount of time towards working out these kinks. The players have been perfecting how their offensive plays are called in and executed.
Junior midfield Ali Deluca overcame the miscommunication issues and took the initiative against Drexel, scoring three goals, two of them unassisted, proving she's the Quakers' top offensive asset so far on the young season.
At the same time, with senior attack Becca Edwards - who earned three points against Drexel in her first game back since a season-ending ACL injury last March - on the field, there are many possibilities for new offensive strategies.
Once the play-calling troubles have ceased, though, freshman midfield Erin Brennan may provide an interesting twist to this season's offense.
"She is a lefty, and it's pretty helpful to have someone like that," Edwards said. "It's been a lot of fun for us to work plays around her."
Cal, however, has a strong freshman of its own. Vail Horn has managed ten goals in four starts thus far, all of them unassisted.
While the Quakers will surely have an individual marked on Horn, both Brower and Edwards have stressed the importance of team defense.
"Our team really prides itself on playing good team defense so that even if someone gets beaten by one of these girls, we can slide and help," Edwards said.
Specifically, Brower pointed out the need to play defense right from the get-go, something the team didn't do so well against Drexel, when it let up a goal less than 90 seconds into the game.
The Golden Bears may also have a goalie issue on their hands. Senior Morgan Dyson started against No. 3 Syracuse Feb. 22, allowing eight goals while making only one save in 9:15 minutes of play. Replacing her for the remainder of the game was sophomore Allie Shropshire, who allowed ten goals, but managed to make eights saves. The score of tonight's matchup may largely depend on who is defending Cal's goal.
Though if the Quakers can play a solid 60 minutes, it probably won't matter who is minding the net for the Bears.
"We really want to play a complete game of making deliberate and smart decisions," Edwards said.
