The Montclair State University women’s lacrosse team is heading into their final regular season game on Friday, April 26 against New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) rival Stockton University. With a 10-7 record on the season, playoffs loom and the team looks to end their season strong.
On the team, seven of the 27 women are seniors playing in their final season. Of those seven women, there is only one Casey Provost.
Provost, a senior business management major, has played in 31 games over the past four seasons for the Montclair State women’s lacrosse team. As a player for the Red Hawks, she has scored seven goals and has six assists.
Casey Provost (right) has the ball cradled as her teammates get open during a practice earlier this year.
Mario Papa | The Montclarion
Provost reflected on this being her last season.
“It’s tough,” Provost said. “It’s been a long ride and just getting to your fourth year, you’ve been doing this for so long and it’s been rough on your body, too.”
Provost is not making any changes going into her final season in terms of breaking new ground in her game and setting goals for herself.
“Playing a lot more now than I have been in the past is definitely one of [my goals],” Provost said.
Provost plays on attack for the Red Hawks, which combined with her limited playtime throughout her first three seasons in her Montclair State career, explains her 13 points.
“I just get really hyped up when either I score, or someone else makes a really good goal,” Provost said. “I just get so excited.”
Provost started playing lacrosse back in the seventh grade for her hometown of Allentown, New Jersey. She cited that most lacrosse players would start playing the game at a much earlier age, like at or around the third grade level, but due to the small size of Allentown, women did not get the chance to play that early.
She played throughout high school for a travel team that was being recruited by various colleges, including Montclair State University. After an overnight with a couple of her current women’s lacrosse teammates, she decided to play for the Red Hawks.
But that was back then, back in 2015. Now, it’s her final season and she must take on a leadership role for her newest teammates, the freshmen. Compared to the seven seniors that are leaving, there are eight new freshmen players joining that can learn from Provost and other seniors.
“Coming into a college sport is completely different from a high school sport,” Provost said.
Provost went on to explain the difference between college and high school sports.
“It’s so much more competitive, and you come in playing at 18 years old and you can play against these 21 or 22-year-old seniors,” Provost said. “I feel like you need to slowly bring them in and really teach them the competitiveness of it, you can’t just be thrown into a game.”
One interesting aspect of Provost’s game is that she is the only member of the lacrosse team who actively watches college lacrosse games in her spare time.
“I probably watch the most lacrosse out of every single person on our team,” Provost said. “I love watching [Division I college lacrosse] because it makes me so hyped when I watch stuff like that. I told everyone on our team that everyone should watch lacrosse because I get so, ‘Oh my God, I have to play lacrosse,’ after I watch a game.”
Casey Provost (second from the left) poses for a picture alongside some of her teammates during a practice earlier this year.
Mario Papa | The Montclarion
Junior midfielder Sydnee Sapp has been a teammate of Provost for the last three years. After the final home game of the season against Ramapo College, Sapp reflected on playing alongside her energetic teammate.
“Casey is more like a sister to me,” Sapp said. “She is one of the most genuinely nice people I’ve ever met and it’s not going to be the same without her next year.”
Sophomore defender Meghan Gorman, who is also a roommate of Provost, talked about her upstanding teammate.
“Casey is one of my favorite people,” Gorman said. “She loves lacrosse the most and knows the most about lacrosse. She is basically the heart of the team.”
Whether it is on the field or on the screen, Provost is very influenced by her teammates and from other college lacrosse players to do better and go out and play.
