Women's lacrosse team ready for season finale

Nicholas Valenzuela Arizona Daily Wildcat Senior midfielder Ellen Higgins passes a ball upfield during a game against UCLA earlier this year. The UA women's lacrosse team will play its regular season finale at UC-San Diego this weekend and may still have a shot to make it in the playoffs.

Or maybe they're not.

The Wildcats (3-6) head into their regular season finale at UC-San Diego this weekend not knowing if they are or are not out of the Western Women's Lacrosse League playoffs.

"We're going to try and win it anyway," freshman midfielder Kyle Mancuso said. "We're going to try to win it just to stay up, in case we make the playoffs."

UCSD was 0-5 entering last weekend, but the results from its games are still not available. The Toreros' record, though, is less important than those of the other four teams in the South Division. UA has to finish in the top four to make the playoffs, and may still have a shot if it wins Saturday's game in California.

"They're not doing too good, either," Mancuso said of the Toreros. "It'd still be nice to beat them, though."

Arizona defeated UCSD 8-4 Feb. 28 in Tucson and is now looking for the season sweep.

The season has been a disappointment for both teams, as they have fallen far from their traditional perches atop the South Division.

Arizona was the division champion last year and finished third in the WWLL playoffs, but lost many of its key players to graduation. This year's freshman-laden team has failed to live up to the standards set before.

"I think we need to work on being more of a team," Mancuso said of what the Wildcats need to do for next year. "Everybody needs to work on their stick skills. During the summer we all need to keep running and stay in shape."

UA's three seniors, Ellen Higgins, Sarah Schier and team captain Maren Henley, are likely playing in their final game Saturday, and Mancuso said that while nothing special is planned, "I hope there's something. They deserve it."

Mancuso called the 1999 season "our growing year."

"Hopefully we can come back next year and do 100 percent better," she said.

Chris Jackson can be reached via email at Chris.Jackson@wildcat.arizona.edu