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Unprecedented: A Perspective on the 2021 Temple Lacrosse Season

Unprecedented: A Perspective on the 2021 Temple Lacrosse Season

6/29/2021

The Temple women’s lacrosse team huddled on the field at Boston College, ready to take on UMass in the first-round of the NCAA Tournament. After earning their first at-large bid since 1998 as an independent team, and making their first appearance at the tournament since an automatic bid in 2008, the Owls were ready to put in the work. 

Despite suffering a season-ending injury earlier in the year, fifth year senior and notable team leader Kara Nakrasius stepped into the huddle and said, “Let’s make history today!” The Owls did just that.

Temple defeated #18 UMass, 14-13, winning their first NCAA tournament game since 1998. The Owls advanced to the second round to take on #4 Boston College, the eventual NCAA Champion. Despite falling to the Eagles, 21-11, Temple proved its ability to compete with the top teams in the nation and set the tone for the seasons to come. 

Prior to the tournament, Temple wrapped up the regular season, 13-6, and went on to post-season play at the AAC Tournament. Temple made a statement win in the semifinals with a 16-11 victory over Vanderbilt, moving on to face #7/#8 Florida in the Championship game. Although the result was not what they had hoped for, falling 19-4 to the Gators, the Owls had their highest finish in postseason play since the 2016 season.

LAX Second Round NCAA

OwlSports caught up with head coach Bonnie Rosen and a member of each class on the women’s lacrosse team to gage their perspective on the 2021 season.

With strict COVID-19 protocols in place throughout fall practice and the season, the team showed strength and unity in the unique and adverse circumstances. Grateful for the ability to play their sport amid the pandemic, the squad worked together to achieve a remarkable and memorable season, reaching postseason heights not seen in over two decades.

Bonnie Rosen Quote
Bonnie Rosen Quote
Bonnie Rosen Quote
Player Perspective

Scroll the tabs below to read each of the player perspectives on the 2021 Women's Lacrosse season! 

Kara Nakrasius returned as a fifth year senior with the goal of making it to the NCAA tournament with her team. Despite suffering a season ending injury in April, Nakrasius remained a leading presence as a captain, helping to motivate the team and be involved in any way possible.

Nakrasius is grateful for this year's experience and success with her team, describing wrapping up her career with a historic season as, “truly the best experience in my college career. To be able to go after a goal and achieve it is beyond rewarding.”

“We had such a special bond this year and had our mind set on making history. We also had a good bunch of leaders on the field from each class that pushed this team in a positive direction,” Nakrasius said.

The Garnet Valley, Pa. native said it was difficult to navigate and lead this season, with no easy path to building the strong team culture that developed. With strict rules on who players could see, limits on what they could do outside of lacrosse, and not being able to hang out as a whole team, Nakrasius said it was a constant team effort.

“We all understood that the pandemic was not going to be a walk in the park, which forced the team to buy in and do whatever it took to make it as far as we could go,” she said. ”As a team we focused on the big picture and doing the little things that could get us there. With each individual effort, this helped our team reach new heights and create unbreakable bonds.”

Now as a Temple women’s lacrosse alumna, Nakrasius is thrilled to see what the team will accomplish in upcoming years.

“There is amazing talent on this team and cannot wait to see all that they can do!” she said. "I also think we created such a good foundation this year, the team will only grow from here.”

For senior captain Bridget Whitaker, wrapping up her career with so much success was exactly how she and her fellow seniors wanted to leave Temple. Knowing the team had something special, Whitaker attributes this year's success to every member of the team bringing their best game and having an ‘all-in’ mentality. 

“Everyone brought it to practice everyday allowing the rest of the team to get better. If an attacker brings her hardest moves every day, that forces the defender to get better footwork or checking skills,” Whitaker said.

She added, “This season we really wanted to focus on making sure every aspect of our game was up to par and where it needed to be. In other years we would have a great defense, but our offense was lacking or vice versa, and I think everyone really focused on their role this year and making every part of our game great.”

With the many obstacles the team faced this year, relying on the team to stay together and attacking the obstacles with great attitudes allowed the team to overcome them and succeed.  

“Something I think about a lot is how our coaches this year always talked about having to be able to adapt to the game. I think more than ever we have done that,” Whitaker said. “They would never freak out with any obstacle that happened and I think seeing this calmness allowed us to just be like ‘okay, this is happening, it is what it is, lets just play.’ I think having that mindset allowed us to go far”

With the challenges the pandemic brought, Whitaker learned to appreciate the little things that made her senior year special.

“Whether it was a bus ride or a small conversation after a practice, I think these moments would have gone right over my head the past few years. This year I realize how important they were, a lesson I will take with me for the rest of my life.”

Junior Lauren Zinkl saw a renewed focus and appreciation in the team this year after the previous season was cut short. 

“I think we were so successful this year because every time we stepped out on the field for practice or for a game, we were excited to compete. This brought an additional level of intensity to every practice, every lift, and every game,” Zinkl said. “We were committed to being the best we could be and giving it our all every day.”

As a mechanical engineering major, Zinkl would face a challenging course load in a normal school year. But learning advanced topics through an online setting added further difficulty. 

“This year has been the most course work I have had so I had to create a detailed plan regarding how I was going to complete all my classwork while still performing well on the lacrosse field,” she said. “I would eat dinner with my roommates or take an hour to watch the Bachelor, just to give myself the feeling of normalcy.”

In addition to strict COVID protocols, the stresses of not knowing if the season was going to be cancelled, and not knowing if there would be a COVID outbreak on the team required constant conscious decisions and commitment. 

“All the sacrifices we made as a team, as well as the support staff around us, helped make our success this season even more meaningful," the Edgewater, Md. native said. 

Looking toward the upcoming season, Zinkl and her fellow senior class will continue to step up as leaders on the team.

“We will bring the intensity and focus we had this year into next year as we realize how this focus pays off in the end," she said. "This year proved that no goal is too big and that we can compete with the best teams in the county.”

Sophomore Belle Mastropietro headed into the preseason with motivation after her rookie season was cut short due to the pandemic last year. Without the chance to see how the season would play out and the opportunity for postseason play, she believes it helped to drive her this season.

“Not getting to have a postseason last year was pretty beneficial for me for this year. Obviously, I didn’t really know what to expect, but I think that helped me be ready for anything,” Mastropietro said. “Overall it motivated me because I really didn’t take anything for granted after last season was taken away.” 

Mastropietro noticed a shift in attitude and motivation this year, explaining how the team set the tone for the season before getting to campus in the fall.

“We met on zoom a lot over the summer and I think we really took time to figure out what we wanted out of this season," she said. "We all got on the same page before we got on campus so I think that helped a lot.”

Being limited in who the team could see and having to spend so much time in their apartments with online school, Mastropietro credits the senior leadership on the team in helping them to get through it.

“They helped us to stay close and form better relationships with the incoming freshman, which I think really benefited us throughout our season,” Mastropietro said. 

Describing the year as ‘unprecedented,' the Springfield, Pa. native believes this season's success says a lot about the team and program. 

“Our team was still able to do amazing things,” she said. “I look up to our seniors a lot, and their hard work is going to be something our team really misses next year.” She added, “I think that it is important for me and my class as a whole to really take on the roles that they are leaving, while still being ourselves and working hard like we know is necessary for another successful season.”

For freshman Taylor Moncman, this was not the season or year she expected. Not only did she begin college and a collegiate sport during a pandemic, she also contributed to a historic season for Temple Lacrosse. On top of the COVID protocols, online school, and the other challenges that required student-athletes to adapt, the freshman class also had to adapt to playing at the collegiate level.

“The college lacrosse game is so different from any level I have played at before. The speed and aggressiveness in the game is so much different than high school,” said Moncman. “Being able to come in and play as a freshman was an amazing experience and not something I expected. I was so happy I got to help the team, and especially the seniors, go out with a bang.”

During the fall, the freshman class had to experience 14 days of quarantine, which Moncman described as a stressful and upsetting time due to missing practice for an extended period.

“The team was so supportive and reached out to us every day to make sure we were doing okay," she said. "When we got back to practice, everyone's energy was so high!”

The most memorable part of the season for Moncman was getting to travel almost every weekend. 

“The team got so much closer because we were traveling for about 4 days at a time," she said. “We were with each other 24/7. The bonds that we created definitely carried onto the field." 

Despite the challenges, the Center Valley, Pa. native believes that this season will build the foundation for many seasons to come. 

“It is so amazing because this really sets the standard for future years, knowing that we can do it if we just come to practice every day and put everything out on the field,” she said. "I look forward to making more memories with the team and continuing to make history with my best friends along the way.”

Lax 2021 NCAA Tournament Celebration

The Owls recognized nine seniors at the end of the regular season in Gabby Acker, Jackie Cerchio, Lydia Hetznecker, Meghan Hoffman, Olivia Martin, Jen Rodzewich, Courtney Taylor and Kara Nakrasius. 

Temple will welcome six new faces to the 2022 roster, five freshman and graduate transfer Quinn Nicolai. Among the signees are four midfielders, one attacker and one goalkeeper. The freshman class features two signees from Maryland, two from Georgia and one from Pennsylvania.

Follow along with the team on our social media pages on Facebook (TempleWomensLacrosse) and Twitter/Instagram (@TempleLacrosse).

LAX Semifinals

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