By Calvin Cutler
When Husson University women’s lacrosse attack player Abi Staab stepped onto the field during the game against Johnson State, she never imagined that she would change the nature of the game of lacrosse at Husson.
Setting a new school record for women’s lacrosse, Staab scored eight goals and lead the Eagles to victory during a home game at Boucher Field on March 21st. According to the women’s lacrosse website, the final score was 16-5.
“It was really incredible, but it was also very overwhelming, and thrilling. It was a whole bunch of emotions, but then I had to remember that there was still a game going on. It felt very unreal, and that it didn’t happen until after the game was over,” said Staab.
Staab, originally from Berlin, Vermont, is no stranger to the world of sports however. Currently a senior, she has played lacrosse at Husson for three years. She also has extensive background in hockey and soccer.
“I played soccer and hockey for my whole life, and there was three months during the year where I didn’t have anything to do, so my mom recommended I play lacrosse. It was new and I had never done it before, and then it filled in that part of the year. I was then always playing something,” said Staab.
Staab firmly believes that this record isn’t just her own doing. She has many thanks to her team, which played a vital role in the record as well.
“They [the team] were all very supportive, especially with this record thing. None of that would have happened without them,” said Staab.
When on the field, there is a different dynamic than one would suspect. The team has a sense of chemistry and teamwork that can’t be replicated anywhere else.
“Almost every single one of those goals was assisted. One of my teammates had a free shot right in front of the net. Instead of taking it, she saw me next to net and passed it to me instead. That just shows how selfless our team is. We’re all very talented with many different things, which makes us a well rounded team,” said Staab.
No matter how well deserved the record breaking was, Staab and the rest of the team knew that they still had a job to do, even though they were well on their way to victory.
“In the first half, I had five or six goals, so it was early into the second half where I broke the record. We still had a lot to play, so we couldn’t celebrate for too long,” said Staab.
In the end however, Staab, head coach Madeline Hoeppner, and the rest of the team are all humble and thankful for the new record. Their determination, hard work, and cooperation brought more than they could ever ask for.
“It could have happened to anyone on our team. I was lucky enough to get those feeds, and got the ball in the net. It was the prefect game for it to happen,” said Staab.
Husson women’s lacrosse is 3-3, and 2-1 in the North Atlantic Conference. In terms of home games, they have gone 2-0, while they have gone 1-2 on the road.