By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 1/2/18
Sam Swart admitted she was not the smartest lacrosse player when she entered Archbishop Carroll – but thanks to coach Lorraine Beers, she left a much different player on the mental side.
“Honestly, her personality is what brings your lax IQ alive,” said Swart, the Phillylacrosse Player of the Year. “When I was little I didn’t have much lax IQ, but now that I am leaving Carroll I know I do. When you messed up, coach Beers didn’t send you to the bench; she said, ‘Go do it again’.
“Her tactics were amazing; she helped you grow as a lacrosse player. It was amazing to grow up with her as my coach.”
For years, Lorraine Beers has been one of the most successful lacrosse coaches in the region, having guided the Patriots to 17 straight Catholic League championships and a record of 316-63-4 heading into the June 10 PIAA Class AAA championship vs. Springfield-Delco at West Chester East High.
But until that day, Beers’ Patriots had never won a state title, nor even gotten past the state quarterfinals. But on that day, Carroll prevailed, 9-8, to win the big-school title and cap a 24-1 season. For her accomplishments, Beers has been named the Phillylacrosse Girls’ Team Coach of the Year.
“I said to the kids that this is your legacy,” Beers said. “This is the team that won states after 17 years of winning the Catholic League. Winning that had become expected and it was about how far they got in states. There are different ways to measure yourself; we just hadn’t been lucky enough to get there until now. This was just an incredibly talented team.”
Junior All-American Katie Detwiler – who was named the Heather Leigh Albert winner as the top player at the US Lacrosse Women’s National Tournament in late May – said Beers was the force behind the success.
“She never let us give up, never during practice or games,” she said. “She never never let us put our heads down. She was always positive. She would say, ‘Forget about today, it’s tomorrow that matters.’
“She knows all about conditioning and how to prepare us and I think everyone wanted it so bad that it made it easier. In the final, from the beginning of the game, we knew we would win. We all wanted it in our hearts; losing wasn’t an option. She kept our heads up.
“She said, ‘Wee’re not losing this game’ and she had that mentality. It spread to all of us.”