By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- Maddie Garcia (So., MID, Encinitas, CA/San Diegito Academy) was able to play in just three games last season -- along with the rest of her teammates on the Willamette University women's lacrosse team -- because the season was cut short by COVID-19. She showed progress as a scoring midfielder with two goals in her second college game and four goals in her third game. Then things were halted until the current season began on Feb. 28.
In Willamette's first three games this year, she has scored 14 goals. She earned three goals in the season opener in a 19-3 win against crosstown rival Corban University, and then led the Bearcats with six goals in a 15-11 victory over Pacific University on March 20 and tallied a career-high six goals in a 14-9 win over Pacific on March 21. She leads the Bearcats and is tied for third in the Northwest Conference with 14 goals this season. She ranks first in the NWC with 4.7 goals per game.
The Bearcats are 3-0 overall and 2-0 in the NWC. Willamette will host defending NWC champion George Fox in a pair of games at Sparks Field this weekend. The teams will meet on Saturday, March 27 at 1 p.m. (PDT) and will play again on Sunday, March 28, also at 1 p.m.
It's been a solid accomplishment for Garcia to become a key attacking player for the Bearcats. She has worked hard to develop her skills, but she also gives credit to coaches and team members.
"There are a lot of things that have contributed to my scoring," Garcia noted, "but I would say that Head Coach Sarah Lautenbach and Assistant Coach Annie Longtain constantly pushing me to be better or try something new, as well as my teammates trusting me to fill my role on the field and execute when I need to, are the biggest factors."
The increase in her goal-scoring contributions has allowed Garcia to become even more involved with the attack than she was a year ago.
"It feels good to have confidence in myself and my abilities, and to be able to go onto the field and do what I know I'm capable of," Garcia affirmed.
Each attacking player has skills that make them special and enable them to contribute in ways that are different from their teammates. Sometimes those skills involve athleticism and sometimes they involve personality traits. For Garcia, her top skills come from several areas.
"I would say my top strengths as a lacrosse player are having confidence in my own and my teammates' skills as well as my coachability, speed, and focus," Garcia said.
"Aside from her obvious success on attack, Maddie has proven to be an impact all over the field," Willamette Head Women's Lacrosse Coach Sarah Lautenbach said. "She successfully assists with transitions, the ride, the draw, and is considered one of our most valuable assets on our defensive end as well. She is quick and powerful with a great burst of speed."
Garcia and her teammates are glad to take a 3-0 record into this weekend's game against such a strong opponent as George Fox.
"Starting off the season with a winning record is so exciting," Garcia commented. "It shows all the hard work the entire team has put in this whole year is paying off. It also proves that we are a very talented team and shouldn't be underestimated just because we're a newer program."
"Maddie pushes herself daily to be better and hustles through every single play," Lautenbach said. "I am confident she will continue to get better and have great successes as a player at Willamette."
At Willamette, Garcia is majoring in Exercise and Health Science and is working toward a minor in Spanish. She also finds time for hobbies and is proud to be a member of the lacrosse team.
" I love the beach, hiking, cooking with my friends, and watching a lot of basketball," Garcia said. "My favorite part about being on the lacrosse team is that we're pretty much built-in best friends. We all get along so well and have a lot of fun together and genuinely want to work hard for each other."
