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First-year Women's Lax looking forward to NWLL Tournament
NWLL Semifinals: #1 Tennessee Wesleyan (10-4) vs. #4 Shorter
(9-5)
Friday, April 22 • 12 pm • Ben Brady Field
ROME – Like most first-year teams, they have had to cope with inexperience, newness to each other and, more than anything, a small roster.
Unlike most new programs, however, the Shorter University women’s lacrosse team has extended its inaugural season beyond all expectations.
Not bad at all for a “Baker’s Dozen” of Lady Hawks, who, despite being few in numbers, have worked their way into the semifinals of the inaugural National Women’s Lacrosse League Tournament that begins Friday, April 22 at Shorter’s Ben Brady Field.
The Lady Hawks (9-5), the tournament’s No. 4 seed, will square off in the day’s first semifinal against top-seeded Tennessee Wesleyan College (10-4) at noon.
“They’ve come a very long way since the start of the year,” said first-year head coach Brittni Dulaney, who has helped pour a strong foundation for the program. “At the beginning we were focused on fundamentals and conditioning, but during the year they’ve improved drastically and are learning new things every day.
“The girls are really excited about this game and this opportunity.”
The Lady Hawks’ anticipation comes after what has been a season of growth.
After a remarkable start to the season that saw Shorter reel off five straight wins, the Lady Hawks dropped their next three games.
The team shook off the setbacks and quickly jumped back on board the victory train by winning their next four outings, including a convincing 17-5 road win over league foe Reinhardt that locked Shorter into the playoffs as the No. 4 seed.
It was in that game against Reinhardt that Dulaney witnessed just what the Lady Hawks were capable of.
“The defense really began to click,” the coach said. “Since that Reinhardt game they have had the right mindset.”
Yet the effort that caught the attention of the coach was far from a sudden revelation. Instead, it was the culmination of long hours of practice, practices in which – thanks to the small number – every player received close attention to improve her skills and knowledge of the sport.
“Having a small team helps during practice,” said Dulaney, whom has just one substitute available to spell one of the 12 players required to be on the field during games. “It allows me to work closely with them. Plus, with our small number they all have gotten game experience.”
Although Dulaney was able to recruit some players who had experience, the majority of the team are newcomers to the sport that have rapidly become key contributors to the success.
Such has been the case for the player who is the Lady Hawks’ last line of defense, senior goalie Dandi Ammons of Chelsea, Ala.
After closing out her career at Shorter as a two-time All-Southern States Athletic Conference catcher for the Lady Hawks softball team, Ammons decided that since she still had a year remaining to earn her diploma – she’ll graduate in May – she would trade her mask and mitt behind the plate for a mask and a stick in the crease for the first time ever.
“When I first saw her I didn’t know what to expect,” Dulaney said of Ammons. “All I knew is that she was a catcher for the softball team.
“But when I saw her in goal, I knew she had all kinds of potential.”
That potential has been evident as Ammons ended the regular season as the top goalie in the league, leading the NWLL with 179 saves – she had 79 more stops between the pipes than the next closest goalie – and recording the second-best save percentage in the conference at .523.
“She has the right attitude and mindset,” said Dulaney, noting that Ammons’ experience with the SU softball team “has given the team the maturity a team needs.”
“She definitely wishes she could come back and play next year,” the coach added.
With Ammons anchoring the defense, one player who, ironically enough, transferred to Shorter from Tennessee Wesleyan has been the Lady Hawks’ offensive spark plug – junior Whitney Dixe.
“She definitely has the ball-handling skills and is placing her shots accurately,” Dulaney said of the cornerstone of Shorter’s attack, “and she has the strength to shoot hard every time.”
Dixe enters Friday’s game against Wesleyan as the NWLL’s top scorer with 53 goals. Combined with her assists, Dixe leads the team with 61 points.
Three freshmen have also thrown their hats into the scoring ring as Bianca Rojas of Kennesaw has 37 goals and leads team with 15 assists, Katie Ott of Kennesaw has connected for 39 goals and Rachel Skinner of Moreland has hit the back of the net 37 times.
Shorter has more than a fighting chance this weekend against the best the NWLL has to offer – No. 2 Indiana Tech and No. 3 Missouri Baptist will battle it out in Friday’s second semifinal at Ben Brady Field – especially given its result against the league’s top seed several weeks ago.
Against Tennessee Wesleyan in Athens, Tenn., the Lady Hawks came up just short in a 13-12 loss.
“We’re hoping this week they’ll be focused and motivated,” said Dulaney. “This is what they’ve been working for.
“I feel we’re at the same level with the other teams in the playoffs. I really feel this team can win it all.”
