Jackie DePetris knew she needed to do something to pick up the spirits of her teammates. Following two consecutive victories on the road, the Orange lost a 6-5 heartbreaker to No. 11 Notre Dame. And as the players reflected on the difficult loss, the senior attack could sense something was amiss.

So DePetris decided it was her duty to lift her teammates’ spirits, and it was time to loosen things up. She decided it was time for the No. 10 Orange (7-4, 2-1 Big East) to have a bit of fun.

DePetris e-mailed the entire team, inviting the players over to her house on Clarendon Street to partake in a scavenger hunt. The evening was filled with laughs, and in spite of a devastating defeat against a Big East rival just a day earlier, the players began to feel relaxed and loose.

‘I’ve been trying to help everyone out and talk to everyone on an individual level,’ DePetris said. ‘I find that I’m thinking about lacrosse all the time. I’m always thinking, ‘What can we do? How can we get better?’ It’s on my mind 24/7.’

DePetris is the team’s co-captain, alongside junior goaltender Liz Hogan and senior defender Lindsay Rogers. Though the Orange is ranked in the Top 10, there have been some definite ups and downs along the way. Throughout this roller-coaster season, these captains have had the daunting responsibility of keeping the morale high when the mood is low.

But what’s special about this crew of leaders is that they all bring something unique to the table.

‘Each captain has a different role,’ freshman attack Michelle Tumolo said. ‘Liz is one who will say, ‘Come on! Get fired up!’ Jackie is that sweet girl that knows just what to say to get you going. And Lindsay is a girl that has been playing Syracuse lacrosse for the past four years. She knows what to work on because she’s been there, and even though she’s hurt she has been there every step of the way.’

In addition to their eclectic personalities, each captain plays a different position and affects the team in her own way. DePetris plays attack and is a goal-scorer, Rogers causes turnovers and halts the opponent’s offense, and Hogan defends the goal.

Unfortunately for SU, only two of those players are currently active.

Rogers, believed to be SU’s most prolific defender coming into the season, suffered a season-ending knee injury against Northwestern on March 21. The injury was especially difficult for Rogers to swallow considering her senior standing.

But despite the premature end to her season, Rogers had upheld her position as captain. Though it has been nearly torturous watching her team play from the sidelines, the co-captain has been in attendance for every game and for every practice, home and away.

Rogers’ presence certainly remains an integral component of the team’s success, but Hogan does admit that the team is missing her leadership from the field. In turn, Hogan feels that she and DePetris must focus on being the vocal leaders within the white lines.

‘With Lindsay Rogers going down that’s one less captain, so we definitely feel some added responsibility,’ Hogan said. ‘But you need to stay composed. People are going to have their bad days, and you just need to talk to them and tell them that they have the skills.’

Rogers served as a co-captain last season, but this honor has provided a new experience for both DePetris and Hogan. And though it hasn’t been an easy job, both players have followed in their co-captain’s footsteps and embraced the role.

‘It’s very different being captain,’ DePetris said. ‘On a team level we try to give off the attitude that, ‘We lost, but we have to learn from that loss.’ And we need to know what we did wrong so that it doesn’t happen again. There’s a lot more to do and it’s a challenge, but I feel more committed to this team than I have in the past four years.’

 

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Published on April 14, 2010 at 12:00 pm