Emma Newman staff writer 
Admitting defeat within the first fifteen minutes of the game, the Normans knew that they were going to lose to the Culver City Centaurs, who have an impressive record. In fact, the Normans were proud of the points they made, which left them with a losing score of 4-18. 
Throughout the game, the energy was low from both teams, especially the Normans, and the audience. In fact, of the 16 viewers of the game, not a single one seemed enthusiastic about the sport. This might have been because of a lack of exciting plays on the Norman’s side,  who were losing from the start of the game all the way to the final buzzer. 
However, the team did not go into the game with a goal of winning. 
“Our goal today was to get more than one person to score and to at least get on the board,” girls lacrosse head coach Stephanie Bianco said. “It’s an improvement from our previous game, and we always try to capitalize on that.” 
The players who stood out throughout the game were junior Elise Raquel Knebel and senior Emme Hayes. Both players were not only making passes and trying to lead their team in the right direction, but they were also making goals. 
Despite her action-packed performance, Knebel also knew that the Normans were not going to win despite the time the team spent on defensive and offensive drills. 
“I wasn’t surprised because Culver is a really, really good team and their defense is really strong, but I thought it was a good fight at the end,” Knebel said. 
The strong defense of the Centaurs was not mirrored on the Normans’ side. Despite the team’s four-goal comeback in the second half, the goalie and other team members failed to block most of the goals made by the Centaurs. 
“We need more power on the D-zone,” sophomore Defne Onal said. “I feel like we’re pretty good on the attack. It’s just on the D-zone when a girl comes really close to the circle, it’s really hard for the goalie and other people around to know what’s going on.” 
Another factor that contributed to the team’s loss was their lack of energy when they were competing. While the Centaurs were actively running and actively shooting the ball throughout the game, the Normans seemed more timid. Sophomore Stephanie Morales thinks that the outcome could have been different “maybe if [the team] put more aggressive effort into it.” 
Knebel also thinks that there were avoidable reasons why the team lost by several points. To her, one of the main issues was how the team communicated to execute different plays. 
“I think we could have communicated much better,” Knebel said. “I’m on the other side of the field and I’m trying to communicate, but sound only travels so far, so I think they need to talk closer to where they are.” 
One of the biggest reasons the team didn’t win was because of the lack of experience among most players. In fact, some of the players are just learning the basics of the sport like passing and catching, although the team has demonstrated “coachability” as they have learned, according to Bianco.
“We weren’t surprised because most of us are newbies to this, but we set some goals for the game and we accomplished them, so we’re happy about that,” sophomore Eleanor Stahl said.
Overall, the team was not disappointed with their loss, and the game actually gave Bianco hope that the team could continue to make positive changes. 
“As long as we’re doing better and showing improvement that way, I think it’s important,” Bianco said. “It just shows that we’re growing as a team.”