University of Connecticut Athletics
Sparks Notes - May 24, 2010
5/24/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
May 24, 2010
"You're Not on One Team for Four Years; You're on Four Teams for One Year" - Molly O`Brien
Each season brings new faces, new opponents and new experiences, unique and special in its own right. With the 2010 UConn Lacrosse season in the books and with time to reflect on all that it encompassed, progress remains a consistent theme. From one year to the next, from the first game to the last, strides were doubtlessly made in our play, in our attitude and in our sense of togetherness. We are proud to have achieved a winning record, to remember what it feels like to dominate a game and to have competed within the BIG EAST. While we continue to look forward to bigger goals and further success, we can appreciate the steps taken and the people with whom we have taken them.
Although our progress can be measured on paper, some moments will rise above the records, numbers and statistics - freshman Chelsea Hauswirth's overtime game-winner, the resurrection of "high-fives," Ashley Mitchelides' pump up videos.
One moment in particular, however, stands above the rest. It occurred in the final moments of the final game, after graduating senior Molly O'Brien delivered a heartfelt and emotional pre-game speech about us as a team, the journey of the senior class and the little moments that shape the experience. On Senior Day, Molly scored her first goal of the season, UConn's final one of 2010 and one of the most celebrated of the year. In time, we won't recall the details of the actual goal but rather, the reactions of all who were present. Defenders rushed from the opposite end to join the huddle, the sideline filled with cheers, and the stadium rose to its feet. While it may have been one player's goal, the excitement was felt by all, serving as a beautiful reminder of the essence of team sports. Moments like those are just as critical to our progress as any X's or O's of the game. Without the relationships, support and emotions that make a team, the progress would be far less significant and far less rewarding.
As we bid farewell to the 2010 season and look forward to 2011, we know that new dynamics, challenges and journeys await, as a new group of Huskies will come together. New roles will be filled, new goals will be set and a new identity will emerge. Yet the moments, lessons and people who have come before us will still be present, as the steps taken by this team, and the one before it and so on, have led the way to the next ones. And just like Molly's goal on Senior Day, when the 2011 team has a special moment, the celebration will be for all - because even if you're on four teams for one year, you don't let go of the others. The team just gets bigger.
