FGCU women's club lacrosse team competes for national title locally

FORT MYERS, Fla. (WINK)—Florida Gulf Coast University's women's club lacrosse team is competing for a national title on home turf this week as the WCLA National Championship Tournament hosted by USA Lacrosse comes to Southwest Florida.

The Eagles fell 13-8 to UC Davis in round two but remain in the tournament. They will have at least one more chance to take the field, and even if they don't win the tournament, playing against top programs from across the country helps the club build its national rank.

FGCU has now qualified for the WCLA National Championship Tournament three straight years. That's a major step for a program that had never made it past local play just a few seasons ago.

"We then had the opportunity to change our division. So we were a D2 club, which gave us a more competitive advantage," said Ava Manieri, president of FGCU Women's Club Lacrosse. "From there, we were able to qualify for regionals. And from regionals, we were working up to nationals."

This year, the Eagles' nationals look a little different.

"We get to go home and hang out in the pool. Our commute isn't that far," said Caitlyn Hoen, assistant coach of FGCU Women's Club Lacrosse. "We all get to go home, sleep in our own beds."

While most club teams spend thousands of dollars traveling across the country to compete, FGCU gets to play right in its own backyard at the Paradise Coast Sports Complex. The convenience of hosting nationals locally eliminates the financial and logistical burdens that typically come with tournament travel.

"Getting to come to nationals and play teams from California, as we played Denver yesterday. We just played UC Davis," Hoen said. "I mean, those are opportunities that we don't get every day."

But the experience goes beyond the results.

"Our girls love this sport. Some of the girls have been playing since they were three years old," said Amanda Smith, vice president of FGCU Women's Club Lacrosse. "So getting to, I know personally, getting to play the sport we love competitively for this long has been truly a blessing for all of us."

This is a club team built on students playing for the love of the game. Many of them are former National Collegiate Athletic Association athletes.

"We've had D1, D2, and D3 players who have all transferred here and now get to have fun with the game again. So that's almost half of our team," Hoen said. "It's like a rebirth of love for the sport."

The Eagles will continue their pursuit of a national championship at the Paradise Coast Sports Complex.