Sports

Q&A With Broadneck Girls Lacrosse Coach Tengwall on State Championship Win

"They deserve all the credit, they are the stars of the show!" the team's coach said.

Patch recently interviewed Karen Tengwall, coach of the Broadneck High School girls lacrosse team, who won the 2013 state championship in their division.

Broadneck Patch: Was there a turning point in the season?
Karen Tengwall: I feel like the two-loss start of the season propelled us forward.  We learned quickly not to be satisfied with playing mediocre.  Mediocre wasn't going to cut it in our region. We had too many talented players, so we really pushed them after that first week.  We started from scratch and therefore some of the lineup changed, personnel shifted around, and starting at the AACC tournament—we had become a new team, being refocused and poised.

Patch: Describe the atmosphere before the game, and as the score turned in your favor.
Tengwall: The girls were so excited before the game. We played the warm up CD on the bus, and that always get them going. We did however, not want them to get too psyched out regarding the "grandness" of the whole game.  We still wanted them to play Broadneck lacrosse, and execute the way they had been. Once the momentum swung back our direction, there was no stopping them. They were not going to be satisfied with an OK showing in this game, we wanted to end playing our best lacrosse. 

Patch: What will you miss most now that this season is over?
Tengwall: I already miss the girls, as suddenly there is no more practice, no more pep talks or team bonding. We are like a family—coaches get the great opportunity to watch these amazing seniors athletes transform into mature leaders. The underclassman soak it all in, push themselves and give everything they have to one day be the senior leaders. Often times, perception of coach-player relationships are far different from reality. This whole team has a great relationship. There is a mutual respect, along with hard work, focus, and good fun. We did a lot of laughing, as that is also an important piece to the grand puzzle of high school lacrosse.

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I am so fortunate to have been given the opportunity to lead this amazing group of young ladies to a state championship. They deserve all the credit, they are the stars of the show! 

See also: Broadneck High Girls Lacrosse Seize State Title

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