SEATTLE WOMEN�S WINS 2002 WESTERN STATES TOURNAMENT

Despite predictions of cloudy skies, the weather could not have been any better at the Western States Tournament held this year at Stanford University in California.  It was warm (mid 70�s) and beautifully sunny as we played on manicured grass fields.  We did anticipate warm weather and made sure we were well hydrated throughout the week and continued our policy in between games, which was a key factor in maintaining a consistent output of high performance.

Three games played on Saturday proved very decisive.  We allowed only 4 goals against for the entire day, while capturing an impressive 32 goals for.  Effie Wardenburg played in goal after two seasons off and never missed a beat.  By subbing often and conserving energy, we were definitely preparing for a tougher second day facing the top teams of their pools within division one.

All the games on Sunday gave us opportunities to really put our strategies to the test.  A well deserved win against Tri-Check (from Los Angeles) brought us to a real nail biting semi final against Aussie Pub, a club team based in San Diego.  A questionable call on the score at the beginning of the second half turned up the intensity for us to win in the last 20 minutes of the game.  We fell behind by a goal, but managed to answer twice, the final and winning goal shot by Audrey Russek and assisted by Amy Alvord.

We played San Francisco Club A for the Division 1 Championship, and it turned out to be one of the best lacrosse games we have played.  San Francisco Club was stacked with recent young graduates of Princeton and other top lacrosse schools, who not only proved fast and skilled, but very physical as well.  We promptly scored first to set the pace, but by half time the score was tied.  We managed a 2-goal lead, only to be answered twice tying the score again at 5-5 with very little time left.  With less than 2 minutes left, we claimed the draw and settled the ball on attack, allowing Marisa Bassett to drive the crease from the left side and pop the game winning shot in over the goalie.  With less than 30 seconds running on the clock, San Francisco asked for a stick check, but they were too late.  The horn sounded and the championship title belonged to us (the stick was legal)!  Congratulations to the Seattle Women�s Lacrosse Team on a fantastic weekend!  Amazing playing by every single teammate!