Women’s lacrosse players earn MAC Player of the Week

By Liz Connelly 

Two Hood women’s lacrosse athletes have captured the spotlight as they gained the title of MAC Player of the Week on March 18. These individuals have risen above the competition with their exceptional skills and unwavering dedication. 

Senior offensive player Mackenzie Demaio and freshman defensive player Olivia Pickett led the charge in the conference the other week with impressive stats, including five assists and two goals from Demaio, plus three caused turnovers and two ground balls from Pickett. 

“That week there was a lot of time to work on myself outside of practice, whether that was seeing a sports psychologist, like one or two times a week, or doing some individuals with Coach or even just taking some time on my own to get out and get some extra shots, some extra reps, some extra footwork,” Demaio said.

Some key things that worked well for the players were the increased aggressiveness and communication down on defense and unselfish passing and communication down on attack. “I was trying to go out and be aggressive and give it 110%,” Pickett said. “I was worrying less about myself and focused more on how to read my teammates and kind of just figured out what they like.”

Pickett explained how the defense is a powerhouse and has helped her get out of her comfort zone when it comes to communicating on the field. “I feel like my team had my back and was really communicating with me. So, I felt more confident in my ability to be aggressive and communicate a threat,” Pickett said. 

“Playing defense is like calm chaos, like you want to keep your mind calm but you still want to be aware of everything that’s going on around you,” Pickett said. 

On the other end of the field, Demaio explains her offensive strategy. “You need to be someone who’s always looking for the next option, whether it’s a feed, whether it’s a drive, whether it’s a shot, always just ready for the next slide looking for the next thing,” she said. 

The two players are team-oriented and have big goals and aspirations for upcoming games and the rest of the season. “I really want everyone to give everything in each play going forward,” Pickett said. “Each ground ball, each one v one, each cutter going through the middle, give everything 110% because that’s when you get the knockdowns and the caused turnovers which in return just pumps everyone up.”

“I really want to be a role model and leave Hood with a better reputation,” Demaio said. “I want to leave Hood with people looking at what I did, and I want that to feed into the rest of the team. I want to inspire in terms of feeding and in terms of getting those assists. Finding and forming those connections and love on the field feels so great.”