The History of Girls Lacrosse

Girls Lacrosse 1994 vs. 2025
By Isabela Espinal and Rayssa Serrao 

With the Winter Trimester just finishing, girls lacrosse season is just around the corner. So how exactly do you play lacrosse? When did girls lacrosse first begin at Wooster? Who is the lacrosse coach today and how is the team ? History is important and if you ask anyone here at Wooster, the right now in lacrosse is too. 

Girls lacrosse is a fast moving sport played with two teams with each team with 11 players on the field plus a goalie. The object of the game is to score the most points to win by getting a small ball into a goal that is smaller, but similar to goals used in soccer. Players use lacrosse sticks that have nets on the head of the stick They cradle, which is a way to carry the ball in the stick, down the field so the ball does not fall out of the stick. If it does, the opposite team can steal the ball and possibly score. Some players have different attire or sticks. For example, goalies have helmets and a wider head on their stick. Players need to wear mouth guards and goggles to protect their teeth and eyes from the dense lacrosse balls they play with. For girls lacrosse the gear we are required to use are goggles for helmets but helmets are optional, usually goggles, mouth guards, and cleats. Lacrosse is a very physical sport because it requires running and physical contact between players, and the positions are midfield, attack, defense, and goalie. It has become popular nationwide and today it is one of the most popular sports at Wooster. 

The first girls lacrosse team recorded into the yearbook at Wooster was in 1994. In the 1990’s women's lacrosse sticks were made out of wood and the heads were long with thick stringing that

players used to have to polish with linseed oil, according to Coach Thaler, who played with a wooden stick. The uniforms were also made of thick polyester (jerseys) and the skirts were kilts made out of wool. 

Since then Wooster has grown and of course, the team has changed. A big part of Wooster is unity and the most important part of any sport is the team. This year's team captains are Ava Cilento, Ava Aspen, Sage Cilento, and Molly Sullivan. This year's team has several new players but it also has very skilled players. Wooster has always had skills in lacrosse. This is shown when the girls lacrosse team plays in HVAL Tournaments. The Wooster team was finalists in 2018, 2019, and 2022. Unfortunately, there was no lacrosse season in the spring of 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 season was abbreviated because of COVID and therefore there was no HVAL tournament. The 2023 and 2024 were great seasons for the Wooster team because they won the HVAL tournaments. That’s twice! Who knows, 2025 might be the third time in a row. . .

Another important part of lacrosse is coaching. Coach Thaler started coaching varsity in 2016. She coached Venus Okwuka in 2016 & 17 who is now our assistant coach. Did you know that every year except for one (2019), while Mrs Thaler was here at Wooster, she has coached at least one set of sisters on the team? And starting in 2020 with Sophia, there has always been at least one Cilento sister on the team. One of the sisters, Ava Cilento, has been claimed the best goalie in our league, and was on the athlete of the week article!

Some people argue that girls lacrosse is one of the best sports at Wooster. Hopefully this article helped you learn more about lacrosse and maybe you may want to play in 2026. . .We wish the lacrosse team well for the 2025 HVAL tournament!