Sitting in a corner office with a retired lacrosse stick on the wall is Brooke Thacker, head coach of the women’s lacrosse team at Piedmont. In her fourth year on the coaching side of the sport and her second season as the Lady Lions head coach, Thacker has a lot in store for the upcoming season. One of these big changes? Thacker has brought in a new assistant coach to the team: Monti Hendrix, who was looking to get into college coaching after the two competed against each other in many aspects of their early careers. Thacker said she knew Monti would be the perfect candidate since two people recommended her from the beginning. After having a phone call with her and having her come look at the campus, Thacker knew, “I would be dumb not to offer her this position.” She knew she would fit right in with her girls and help win games this season.
The team plays lacrosse five days a week, with most Sundays being their only days off. On a daily basis, the team practices for about two hours, starting with stick work to get ready for a good practice. Following that, they go into a smaller space drill to then work into a larger space. Thacker likes to implement themes each practice, adding an offensive-heavy day and a defensive-heavy day to focus on different aspects of their game. A main point of their practice is working from a smaller space to a bigger space on the field.
The lacrosse team has played in six games so far this season with a record of 2-4, and they had their first home game on Saturday, Feb. 22 versus Sewanee, losing in a close game 18-13. Thacker explains the difficulties that come with being a head coach when choosing a starting lineup.
“Right now with our numbers it’s easier to pick a starting lineup, but goalies are always hard with it being a very mental position,” said Thacker. “This will always be hard, especially with our freshman goalie getting more experience under her belt, but our senior stepped it up in the game against Reinhardt, she came in and really changed the momentum in the game against Oglethorpe, so having the potential of both goalies will be interesting come middle of the season.”
Choosing a starting lineup for any sport will always be tricky, but since the women’s lacrosse roster is smaller, with only 19 girls, it allows for an easier decision in other positions. Thacker describes this group of players as “small but mighty.”
Thacker sees the potential of winning a ring this season if the team continues to play the way they’ve been playing while also taking care of their bodies. “We actually took an extra day off yesterday because five players would’ve been out of practice.”
Even though their season has just started, making sure the players are fit and healthy is a huge priority in the possibility of winning a ring this season.
“We need to continue to work hard at practice and beat Meredith and Methodist this year,” she said. These are the two biggest competitors the Lions will face in the USA South conference. Methodist is coached by former Piedmont lacrosse head coach, who Thacker was assistant to during her first two years at Piedmont. The last time the Lions played Methodist at home, they won, but they lost during an away game last year. This year, Thacker is looking forward to a rematch against the team’s former coach.
The lacrosse season will continue through the end of April, and Thacker is optimistic: “If we play like we did against Reinhardt and keep the focus, I can see the potential of winning a ring this year.”
