Cribbin Calls on Tougher Foes for Lindenwood

by David Ely | Special to Lacrosse Magazine Online

Kathryn St. George helps set the tone from midfield for the No. 3-ranked Lindenwood women's lacrosse team. © Dirk Dewachter

The Lindenwood women’s lacrosse team’s schedule is about to get much harder.

After a month of feasting on likes of Wisconsin, Marquette and Illinois, the Lions host No. 7 Colorado on Friday night to kick off a stretch of intense competition.

And coach Jack Cribbin wouldn’t have it any other way.

“One of our goals this year when we set up our schedule,” Cribbin said, “was we wanted to play the toughest schedule we could possibly play. We want to get the best and we know that starting with No. 7 Colorado until the end of the season, every single game will be a test.”

Tests will be plentiful for the No. 3-ranked Lions. After Lindenwood plays the Buffaloes, they play No. 10 Colorado State, No. 11 Georgia and No. 8 Florida Club during the A-Town Throwdown in Athens, Ga., March 26-28.

Then during the Lindenwood Invitational (April 8-11), the Lions face No. 9 BYU, No. 15 Michigan and No. 1 Santa Clara.

That’s a murderer's row as far as WDIA schedules go, and a significant step up from the teams Lindenwood played for much of the past month. But Cribbin feels that his team won’t suffer from sticker shock.

Cribbin said that practice has been pivotal to prep his team for this part of the schedule.

“We practice very hard when we’re out there,” he said. “Stay focused on the task at hand, drill to drill. As long as we’re practicing hard and making progress… as long as we do that, we’ll be ready no matter what team we face.”

On Friday, Cribbin will get to see if all that practice pays off, or if the weaker competition has made the Lions vulnerable against better teams.

Colorado is 4-1, its lone blemish a two-goal loss to No. 2 UC Santa Barbara. The Buffaloes are coming off a 21-5 thrashing of Denver Club on March 5 and fly to St. Charles, Mo., just for their game against the Lions -- a rarity at the WDIA level.

The game (6 p.m. Central) will also air throughout the St. Charles area on LU TV. The station is available for Charter Cable and AT&T U-verse subscribers, and the game will be available on the Lindenwood Web site.

“We’re just really trying to push and promote the WDIA,” Cribbin said. “That there are other outlets for kids to play college lacrosse (apart from NCAA).”

Airing the game on TV and the Internet gives people the opportunity to watch the players responsible for leading Lindenwood to its highest ranking in school history.

Laura Boland scored five goals in the Lions’ most recent win and is the reigning WDIA Attacker of the Year. Boland teams up with junior Lacey Vatland to lead the Lindenwood attack.

The Lions’ defensive unit is led by senior Katie Veile, whom Cribbin called the team’s “defensive stalwart” for the past four years.

Cribbin also said that Justiene Groothuis and Kathryn St. George set the tone for the team from the midfield line. They play almost every minute of every game.

WDIA News & Notes

No. 1 Santa Clara beat No. 2 UC Santa Barbara 12-11 in a battle of unbeatens last weekend in Santa Barbara, Calif. Maggie Burke and Krista Shaw led the Broncos with four goals apiece, while Ashley Antoon-Algieri led the Gauchos with three goals. UCSB dropped to 9-1 overall, and Santa Clara improved to 10-0… Only three teams in the top 25 are undefeated: Santa Clara, No. 12 Virginia Tech Club (2-0) and No. 19 Michigan State (3-0). The next big test for Santa Clara is on April 3 when it hosts No. 4 UC Davis Club. Virginia Tech doesn’t play a ranked team until it plays Colorado on March 26.