The No. 4 Alabama women’s lacrosse club faced off against Kennesaw State University in its last home game of the season Saturday in Tuscaloosa, winning 20-8.

The club is in its 10th year as a member of the Southeastern Women’s Lacrosse League and is hoping to take its 8-1 record to this years championship tournament.

“The team has really progressed in the past few years,” club president Megan Monroe said. “Two seasons ago we lost every single game and didn’t have a coach. Now we’re 8-1, undefeated at home, we have a coach, and we’re improving each year.”

The club team is also hoping to become an NCAA recognized sport at the University.

“In the future, I would love to see lacrosse become a varsity sport,” Monroe said. “It is the fastest growing sport in the U.S., and other southern schools, like Vanderbilt and Florida, already have varsity teams. I don’t want Alabama to fall behind and be one of the last schools to get a varsity women’s lacrosse team.”

The game against KSU got off to a slow start with the Tide having difficulty placing shots in the net. After an early timeout from the Tide, head coach Jason Sanderson and team captain Natalie Owens were able to put fire underneath the team and things started clicking on the field. Sanderson also told the team during the huddle to place its shots on the ground, making it difficult for the KSU goalie to block.

“We’re a fast team. The team was a bit shell shocked at first, but they made adjustments,” Sanderson said. “I couldn’t be happier right now.”

Freshman Morgan King led the team with six goals and Megan Coddington had four goals and one assist.

“It was a really well-played game but we wanted it more,” King said.

Senior goalie Julia Miller had 10 saves with 17 shots on her goal.

The Tide will continue to defend its championship tournament hopes April 13 in Martinsville, Va. If the team wins its remaining games and is ranked eighth or higher in SWLL, it could be eligible for the national tournament in Colorado Springs in early May.

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