The Shippensburg University lacrosse team may find itself in the playoffs this season after how strong it played together over the past few games.

SU senior Liz French is one of three captains on the Raider squad who was given the task of improving the communication between players every practice.

French is a defender for the lacrosse team and plays a supporting role in midfield when she is needed.

There is a significant amount of veteran players, but the Raiders have a lot of freshman on the team with few sophomores and juniors in between. Despite the difference, French is optimistic about the future even with the awkward dynamic.

“We definitely outnumber the middle-classmen but we get along really well and we have a lot of depth,” French said from inside The Slate office. “We all click on the field together.”

The veteran captain graduated from Century High School in Maryland and was a three-sport athlete playing basketball, soccer and lacrosse.

French earned eight varsity letters in her tenure with the Knights during her high school career.

French wasted no time when it came to stepping on the field at the collegiate level.

As a freshman she was instantly a valuable player, receiving the All-PSAC First Team honors and was the only Raider who earned first team accolades. That same year French won 28 draw controls, scored four goals as a defender and led all field players with 36 groundball pickups.

As the lacrosse star moved into her sophomore and junior years of college, the Raiders’ record became more impressive.

French was named to the All-PSAC First Team consecutively through the next two years, making her the third player in school history to earn three straight All-PSAC selections.

The Sykesville native started all 17 games in the past two seasons at SU and notched a team record of 58 draw controls her junior year while being ranked second on the team with 41 ground balls.

French has slowly become one of the most valuable players the Raiders have seen in the past three years.

Since she has made such a vast impact on the team over the past few years French makes sure that freshman players learn the basics of college lacrosse and have an easy transition into their college careers.

“Playing multiple games per week, traveling and spending nights in hotels,” French noted. “It’s a big difference from high school.”

French said the team has been practicing well before games and continues to show signs of improvement as the season progresses.

The senior said that being a captain means a lot to her and that all the work she has installed in lacrosse is finally paying off.

“All your work pays off over the years and you deserve this,” French said. “They (the Raiders) trust you and believe in you.”

The three-time All-PSAC First Teamer currently leads the Raiders in ground ball pickups (41) and draw controls (36), while ranking second on the team, only behind Amanda Krok, in caused turnovers with 20.

French ranks in the Top 15 in the PSAC in ground ball pickups per game (2.73) and caused turnovers per game (1.33).

French and company have hit the home stretch of the 2014 season and have the playoffs in their sights.

The Raiders currently sit at No. 8 in the PSAC with two regular season games left.

French and the Raiders will make a strong push as the regular season comes to an end in hopes of earning their first playoff berth since 2007.

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