In the blink of an eye, Fort Lewis women’s lacrosse coach Ashley Travis’ first recruiting class has gone from wide-eyed freshmen to experienced seniors ready to push the Skyhawks back to the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament.
“So it's really exciting to see that and we’ll definitely be relying on them and looking to them to be those leaders and to really help the program this year,” Travis said about her seniors. “They've pretty much been starters since they were freshmen. So they know the ropes a little bit. They know what's going on. They know the teams we play. So definitely relying on them a lot this year.”
Travis knows defense will be a big key this year. The Skyhawks were fourth out of six teams in the RMAC in goals allowed and most of those defenders have graduated, including goalkeeper Averi Basso.
“But our defense looks solid this year,” Travis said. “It’s a really good core group of defenders still that really trust each other and have that high IQ about what's going on. So I’m excited to see them get more in the groove of things.”
On offense, the Skyhawks return their top-five scorers, including senior Haley Dostie who plays attack. As a junior, Dostie led Fort Lewis with 45 goals and seven assists. Senior midfielder Ellie Martinez had 15 goals and three assists as a junior which was second best on the team.
Unfortunately for the Skyhawks, Dostie broke her ankle in the fall. But Dostie rehabbed well enough to get ready for the regular season. As the top returning scorer, both Dostie and Travis know she will be at the top of every scouting report. But Travis said Dostie will be utilized in different ways to help her teammates as well with passing and setting picks.
Travis also said with a majority of last year’s team returning, the coaching staff has implemented some new defensive sets to help the team be a high-pressure defense.
“We have a pretty speedy team this year,” Travis said. “Even just from the fall to now we've gotten faster. So that was exciting to see. So I’ve definitely been telling them to push that fast break when we have it. But also know that the clock is part of the game and if we can utilize that to our advantage, the longer we have the ball, the less time they have it. So we definitely have our set motions on attack that we run if we know we don't need to push that fast break. So, definitely a little bit of both.”
Faceoffs are a critical part of the game as they happen every time after a goal and at the beginning of each quarter to determine possession. Travis said the team this year will take draws by committee to allow numerous girls a chance.
Although Travis has emphasized to her girls that having fun is important, she wants to win as well. In her four seasons, the Skyhawks have only finished above .500 in 2020 when they only got two games in before COVID-19 canceled everything.
Fort Lewis has gotten off to a 0-2 start in 2024, but Travis has winning aspirations.
“Our main goal this year is to get back to that RMAC tournament,” Travis said. “We know we deserve to be there and we've been there before and we know what we can do to get there. So I think that has been a goal ever since last year when we didn't make it. So that's definitely where we want to be in the RMAC. And as far as the rest of the season, just having a winning record. I definitely think we can do that.”
bkelly@durangoherald.com
