Have a slow start and everyone starts saying that your team is overrated.
Play a few solid games and those doubters are transformed into believers.
That is what the Washington College women's lacrosse team has done in the past week of action picking up three big wins in the Centennial Conference match-ups.
The best start, in conference play and in team history, happened when the Shorewomen matched up against Western Maryland, Bryn Mawr and Swarthmore and walked away with three victories.
During the Western Maryland game, the Shorewomen closed out the first half with four consecutive goals, and then scored two more to start the second half, in Westminster, MD.
Junior Betty Weller started the run that allowed the Shorewomen to pull ahead of the Green Terror and went on to score four goals in the game, Her last goal, which she earned with 10:22 remaining in the contest, was the winning point.
Weller's four goals on six shots led the Shorewomen offense. Freshman attacker Lindsey Eichner posted one goal and two assists while sophomore attacker Casey Sawma, junior attacker Tracy Smet and freshman midfielder Lindsay Stockfisch each scored two goals.
Sawma's first goal was the 2,500th in the history of WC women's lacrosse.
Next, the Shorewomen traveled to Bryn Mawr, PA and walked away with a convincing 19-7 victory.
Eichner led the offensive effort with a five-point day for the Shorewomen; she scored four goals and had one assist.
Smet also scored four goals, doubling her goal total for 2002. Weller finished with four points, scoring three goals and earning one assist.
Sawma and sophomore midfielder Minta Sayres also contributed with two goals and one assist a piece.
In goal, sophomore Mandy Higdon made seven saves on the day.
Just as all good teams do, Washington had to fight back from a 5-1 deficit on April 2 when they hosted Swarthmore College.
The rally began late in the first half as WC scored three unanswered goals to close out the period.
The Shorewomen would hold Swarthmore scoreless after they tied the game at 9-9 with 11:56 remaining in the game.
Sophomore attacker Janet Studdiford scored four goals in the contest and assisted three others. Eichner finished with three assists and junior Paige Heller added a goal and two assists. Other multi-point outbursts came from Sawma with two goals and Weller with one goal and one assist.
The Shorewomen now sport an overall record of 5-3, but find themselves in first place with a conference record of 4-0.
The ladies are in action again tomorrow when they host the Bullets of Gettysburg for a 1 p.m. showdown. Gettysburg (6-2) is currently in fourth place with a 2-1 conference record.
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