West Chester women’s lacrosse is using adversity to propel them to the brink of a championship

While the term “perfect” is relative and has vastly different meanings depending on who you ask, for the West Chester women’s lacrosse team, consider “perfect” the correct terminology to describe a squad just one game away from finishing with a perfect 23-0 season.

To do so, the top-seeded Rams (22-0) will have to defeat No. 2-seeded Pace University in the NCAA Division II women’s lacrosse championship in Indianapolis on Sunday (2 p.m., NCAA.com).

West Chester has been the No. 1 ranked women’s team in Division II for the latter part of the season. The Rams have been dominant and their fuel has largely been playing in the memory of their former teammate Julia Rossi, who passed away last November.

In advance of the game against Pace, junior midfielder Meg O’Connell spent a few minutes from her hotel room reflecting on the season, its impact on her career, and wherein all of it fits the memory of her fallen teammate. O’Connell, who hails from Hatboro and attended Upper Moreland High School, was among the scoring leaders in the semifinal victory over No. 4 Grand Valley State, scoring four goals in the 18-10 win.

» READ MORE: West Chester’s undefeated run to the D-II national semis is keeping Julia Rossi’s spirit alive

What’s the mood heading into Sunday’s championship game? Any nerves?

Meg O’Donnell: No, I wouldn’t call it nerves at all. I think we all understand that we need to cherish every single moment we’ve had this season, including this moment in the [NCAA] tournament. But we also keep reminding ourselves, that we earned this and we deserve to be here. We didn’t get lucky. All our hard work in the offseason and throughout the entire regular season is, you know, paying off. Now, it’s just remaining calm and confident.

West Chester has been the team to beat this season. How have you all been able to run the gauntlet of teams on your schedule with this much success?

MO: We do often talk about how we think we have a target on our backs. Everyone wants to beat us. People want to be the team to knock us down. Um, but I think it’s just important that we stick to what we know, so we don’t need to change too many things. We’ve just played our game. Also, we’ve had really great support this entire season, which you would think would add to the pressure, but it’s been those [home] games that have helped us to handle the pressure. And yeah, it’s ultimately led to a lot of wins this year.

Let’s stick with the home crowd. There are an overwhelming number of players on this year’s roster that are local to the area. Does that factor into having a great deal of support?

MO: Yeah, that’s honestly one of the most special parts about playing at West Chester. This entire team, a lot of us are local kids, so we’re super family oriented. So every time you’re out on the field and you get to see your friends and family in the stands, I think it really does help change the course of the game and help keep the momentum going.

» READ MORE: Lindsay Monigle's five goal, five assist effort propels West Chester past Grand Valley State and into the NCAA D-II championship

What’s the takeaway from the unprecedented run your team has had this season?

MO: It all started with the loss of our friend Julia Rossi. I was very close to her. And I think we all really came together as a team after her loss. Personally, I think this season has taught me to never take anything for granted. Don’t take your teammates for granted. In my mind, with the adversity we’ve all had to face this season, win or lose, we’ve already won.