Macurdy

SLIPPERY ROCK— Victory is sweet — especially when a program waits 18 years to get one.

Such a wait ended for the Slippery Rock University women's lacrosse team last week when it posted a 17-6 triumph over Edinboro.

The Rock stopped offering lacrosse as a varsity sport after the 1991 season. Women's lacrosse regained varsity status in 2007, posting an 0-15 record.

That was followed by an 0-17 mark in 2008 and two losses to begin this season before finally breaking through.

Except for two junior goaltenders, every player on Slippery Rock's roster is either a freshman or a sophomore.

"We're still in the budding stages, but the program is turning the corner," second-year coach Emily Boosahda said. "We used to have players on this team who never played lacrosse before. Those days are gone.

"We've got a solid freshman class and another 13 (high school) players have already committed to joining us next year."

SRUhas been outscored 58-32 so far this season, an average of 14.9 to 8 each game, but such numbers show a drastic improvement over the previous two years.

The Rock was outscored 345-57 in 2008 (20-3 average) and 361-43 (24-2.9 average) in 2007.

Even losses of 21-5 to fifth-ranked Lock Haven and 20-4 to defending national champion West Chester early this season have a positive spin.

"It's the first time we've scored that many goals against either team,"Boosahda said. "The PSACis one of the best lacrosse conferences out there. Seven of our 17 games are against nationally ranked teams.

"This is how you want to build a program, though. You want to play the best."

West Chester is in the PSAC East. Gannon, Mercyhurst and Lock Haven — all ranked among the Division IItop 20 — join Slippery Rock in the PSACWest."We brought the program back for two reasons,"SRUathletic director Paul Lueken said. "One is the increased popularity of the sport on the western side of the state. The other is that it helps us keep up with gender equity."Defenders Ashley Macurdy from Butler and Kourtney Kiley from Knoch, from high school programs still in their infancy themselves, are on the SRUroster.Macurdy is a sophomore while Kiley is a freshman."I was going to come here anyway, but finding they had a lacrosse team was a bonus,"Macurdy said. "I love to play and it's fun playing for such a young team that's going to get better."Kiley agreed."We're all going to mature together,"she said. "Our goal is to win, period."The lacrosse team plays its home games at N. Kerr Thompson Stadium, which has a new women's locker room facility."Everything is in place that's needed to build a program,"Lueken said. "There's an excellent facility, good scholarship support, a solid operating and recruiting budget.""More and more high school lacrosse teams are popping up in Western Pennsylvania and that will only help us,"Boosahda said.Freshman Amy Halls of Olentangy, Ohio, leads SRUwith 11 goals and three assists. Fellow freshman Katie Roof has six goals and sophomore Sam Huebner five."I was recruited by a lot of schools and could have gone elsewhere, but it's good to feel like a big part of starting something new. It's rewarding."Following last weekend's 21-5 loss to Lock Haven, Halls admired the caliber of her team's conqueror."That's where we want to be,"she said. "The losing here?It's only temporary."

Kiley