Winning Her Battles
EVANS CITY — Like any team sport, success in lacrosse depends on players at different positions doing their job and winning individual battles on the field.
The Indiana (Pa.) University women’s team counts on Mollie Gallagher to do just that in the defensive end and she has responded with striking consistency.
Gallagher, a 2015 Seneca Valley graduate, recently capped her junior season for the Crimson Hawks by being named to the second team on the All-PSAC and All-Atlantic Region teams.
Gallagher was named Third Team All-PSAC as a sophomore after starting all 18 of the team’s games.
“Getting the PSAC honor showed me that all of my hard work was coming into place,” she said, “but I was shocked at the region honor. It shows that anything is possible if you put your heart and mind into it. It is something I will never forget.
“But at the end of the day, what I care about most is team success.”
Gallagher paced IUP with 25 caused turnovers this season and was second in ground balls with 29.
“Mollie is a very tenacious defender,” said former IUP head coach Mindy Richmond, who stepped down earlier this month to take over the program at Lynn University in Florida. “She has no fear and plays all-out. She doesn’t over-think things and is very instinctive. That’s a quality that is very hard to teach. She plays with her gut and that has helped to make her a great player.”
Mollie’s older sister, Brenna, starred before her at both Seneca Valley and IUP.
“She definitely had a major impact on me playing lacrosse,” said Mollie. “She basically taught me how to play. I started playing competitively in grade school and joined a club team when I was 13.”
Defense has been Mollie Gallagher’s specialty for years. She was listed as a midfielder on Seneca Valley’s roster her junior and senior seasons, but most of her focus remained on the back end as a defensive wing. She was named All-Section twice while with the Raiders and received Academic All-American honors.
She arrived on scholarship to IUP in August 2015 and saw action in 13 games the following spring.
“I sat more than I played, but when I did get in games, it was a wake-up call,” she said. “I was a little fish in a big pond and I knew I had to work even harder. Nothing is given to you. You have to earn it.
“I learned to appreciate the players around me who could make me better.”
Gallagher said her biggest improvement has come in the mental aspect of her game.
“I now have more confidence in myself,” she said. “I know if I do mess up, I am going to come back and make a play.”
The Crimson Hawks made the PSAC tournament during Gallagher’s freshman and sophomore seasons, but just missed it this season while finishing with an overall record of 9-6. Despite not making the playoffs, IUP still made the NCAA Division II rankings after its season was over at No. 24. That shows the respect the PSAC gets on a national level.
“It’s a super-competitive conference and it’s that way every year,” said Richmond. “If you’re competing at the top of the PSAC, you’re competing at the top of Division II.”
Gallagher and her teammates await the naming of a new head coach, but she has the utmost respect for Richmond, who guided IUP for 10 seasons.
“I didn’t realize how much I love the game until I got to college and she was a big reason for that,” said Gallagher. “Coach Richmond never turned her back on us. Her motivation and encouragement, I became so used to that. It will be a lot different not having her around.”
