St. Edward’s University women’s lacrosse wrapped up the spring season with a win, and men’s lacrosse is hoping to do the same.

Men’s and women’s lacrosse compete in the spring against other collegiate lacrosse teams. Both teams are club sports, meaning the teams are student-run organizations open to all St. Edward’s students.

Men’s Lacrosse

This year has been a “rebuilding year” for the men’s lacrosse team, junior attack player Vinny Caruso said.

“We have a new coach and we’re trying to get everyone on the same page,” Caruso said.

Even when the game gets rough, Caruso said the lacrosse players remain good sports.

“Our season started out well, but we lost some players due to injuries,” said Caruso, who currently has a torn ligament in his knee.

“[Our last game] was a rough one,” Caruso said. “We had one player who had just lost his dad, and every time we huddled, we’d rally for Aubrey. He kept us going through the game and helped us push through to win our last game.”

The game, played against the University of Texas at San Antonio, began to wind down the season.

The men won 11-10. Caruso scored seven goals and had one assist.

With only one scrimmage and one game left in the season, the team is still pushing to win their conference title and go to nationals in Denver, Colo. Men’s lacrosse will play Austin College of Sherman on the lower soccer field at 2 p.m. this Saturday.

Although the women’s lacrosse team had a rough start, they continue to work toward being a stronger and more dedicated team.

Women’s Lacrosse

The women also have a new coach, Dani Peebles, a recent University of Texas at Austin kinesiology graduate. It’s her first time coaching collegiate lacrosse. The team won for the first time this season against the University of North Texas on March 26 but has no further games scheduled. The team defeated North Texas by a narrow 11-10 margin. Junior Katie Tolle scored five goals.

The team had to cancel its final game of the season.

“We were scheduled to play Baylor, but we had to cancel because there weren’t enough players,” Peebles said.

The lack-of-players problem is one that Peebles is looking to solve.

“We want people to see how much fun lacrosse is, and we want to get in touch with those people,” Peebles said. “It’s worthwhile and low pressure, and it won’t take over your life.”

The vice president of women’s lacrosse, junior Jamie Aldridge, disagreed, saying it can be hard for some to balance lacrosse with other commitments, as players do not receive scholarships for lacrosse.

“Part of our problem is that we are a club, so along with being a student and working jobs, we have a commitment to lacrosse,” Aldridge said. “It’s hard to compete with the commitments of school and jobs.”

Although the season is coming to an end, the women’s team is optimistic about the future.

“We have continued to improve every season I’ve been a part of lacrosse, and…we now have all the pieces in place to gain even more success,” Aldridge said.

Still, the team is continuously on the search for new players.

“We have really good players, but not a lot of them,” Peebles said.

Anyone interested in playing women’s lacrosse should email Aldridge at [email protected].