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SMC Women's Lacrosse Trip
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Gaels Go East: SMC Women’s Lax Blog #1

Editor’s note: Ever wondered what it’s like to be an NCAA Division 1 Women’s Lacrosse player? Jeff Brunelle’s little sister, Cassie Brunelle, stops by LAS to guest blog about the the SMC Gaels’ trip to Philadelphia this weekend. The Lady Gaels are are 2-4 on the season, with games against Saint Joseph’s, Drexel and Delaware while in Philly. Stay tuned for more coverage from Cassie, a Sophomore Midfielder, as their trip continues through next Tuesday!
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It was an early wake up call for the Gaels of Saint Mary’s College of California. Most alarms were set for 3:30 AM, with us leaving campus at 4:15 and heading to Oakland Airport to catch a 6AM flight. Whoever made these travel arrangements did not take into consideration the fact we are exhausted college students, in the middle of midterms. Needless to say it was a pack of walking zombies this morning.

[fvplayer src=”https://youtube.com/watch?v=ux6zUsDvUn8″ splash=”https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ux6zUsDvUn8/hqdefault.jpg” caption=”Gaels Go East: St. Mary’s Womens Lacrosse Trip to Philly”]

We shook off our grogginess and were able to make it to the airport, check bags and sticks, get on the correct flight without any major issues, then most of us proceeded to pass out again before the sun had shown any sign of coming up.

SMC Women's Lacrosse Trip
Sunrise over California at 6am

Our trip to Philly is the second road trip of the season. The first one, a couple weeks ago to Denver was not the best showing. Two losses and a long trip home was not the outcome we were looking for. Now, we have had more practice, injured players have returned, and we are on a two game win streak after beating fellow MPSF member Fresno State, and winning a nonconference competition vs. Lafayette, PA. So look out St. Joe’s, Drexel, and U of Delaware…Gaels are on the climb and we are determined to bring W’s back to the best coast.

SMC Women's Lacrosse Trip
Einstein Bros for Breakfast in Denver

There’s no doubt there will be a few battles that go beyond the game of lacrosse. We got into Philly around 4:30 this afternoon, our game tomorrow is at 1pm, that’s 10AM Pacific time. The three hour time difference is always a tough one to shake off, but hopefully we will be early to bed tonight to get rid of this jetlag.

The other battle will be the weather. Now yes California is known for beautiful weather, sunny skies, and temperatures above 60. Well, in the Bay Area where little SMC resides, it has been POURING RAIN and at a steady 50 degrees lately – not ideal, not horrible, but not the California weather I signed up for! This weekend in Philly, snow and just above freezing temperatures are forecasted. SoCal girls bundle up, we are going to need some tough skin for these games.

Our East Coast trips may not be ideal for weather, but there are many reasons why it is important for us to make these trips. We need that dose of East Coast Competition, it helps our schedule, our reputation, and hopefully our record. As an added bonus, many of my teammates are from the East Coast originally, and they get a chance to play in front of their families and friends. Keeping the Gael Family connected!

One of my teammates, Rachel Sunday, is in her home state this weekend. A Pittsburgh native with black and yellow in her blood, she had a few things to say about being home, seeing her fam, and what Pitt has that Philly just doesn’t:

[fvplayer src=”https://youtube.com/watch?v=1lypQM3ppiM” splash=”https://i.ytimg.com/vi/1lypQM3ppiM/hqdefault.jpg” caption=”Rachel Sunday Welcomes us to Philly”]

Personally, this trip is giving me a chance to step in two states I have never been before, lax it up with my great teammates, and show Philly what it means to be a Gael! Let’s GO!