Schnider focused on helping Pinkerton girls lacrosse go higher

When Katie Bourque took over as the coach of the Pinkerton Academy girls lacrosse team, she knew she had a strong returning senior class that played in the Division I championship game the season prior.

What she didn’t know was there was a sophomore who would fit right in with those returners.

After getting a taste of playing with those teammates as a freshman, Hailey Schnider would soon make her mark as a varsity player.

"She was like a hidden gem that we weren’t really told about when we got here," Bourque said of Schnider, who is now a senior. "She’s grown a lot. In the offseason, she did a lot of different stuff with weight training and speed and agility. Her stick kept getting better and better. That’s what we want, so that’s good."

Schnider remembers two things in particular about getting moved up to varsity midway through her freshman year.

"When I was a freshman on JV, I had all my friends with me," she said. "I was pretty good on the team and my coach told me I was moving up, and I was super excited, but it was definitely nerve-wracking. In practice and games, you’re afraid to make a mistake and make someone mad, you kind of just have to see what everyone else is doing and adapt."

And then there was how that 2021 season ended, with a 20-3 loss to Bishop Guertin in the championship game.

"I think it put a chip on my shoulder," Schnider said. "And not just my shoulder, but my other classmates that were on varsity. The deficit of the scoring … we want to get back in there and finish what we started."

Bourque has seen that drive this year, not just from Schnider, but from the whole roster.

"This team is more locked in than I’ve ever seen," the coach said. "We’re ready to go. We’re bringing a lot of culture that I’ve had before in previous coaching destinations. When we come here, we’re all about lacrosse and we’re locked in. Everyone is getting better. We’re talking to each other and correcting each other in a positive way. We want to be as good as we can."

That's been Schnider's goal almost from the time she started playing early in elementary school. She tried other sports, but found she had the most fun when her lacrosse stick was in her hands.

"When I was little, I did basketball and gymnastics, then I got into field hockey in middle school," she said. "Lacrosse was just the most fun for me. I think it’s the creativity involved in it and all the tricks you can do, and I think I just had a natural ability and was drawn to it."

With the exception of a few years spent at midfield, Schnider has always a played attack and can take the draw when needed. While she's always spent time trying to improve her shooting, this offseason also featured time working on ways to make up for the days when she might be off.

"Definitely have to work on accuracy, but that’s something I continue to get better at from freshman year to now," she said. "I focused on my shooting, but I think I did a lot with dodging and my footwork, just getting to the cage. Sometimes the accuracy isn’t there, so if those aren’t falling, then I have to get closer to the middle and lose defenders and get higher-percentage shots."

Bourque has seen Schnider try to help her teammates improve those areas of their game as well.

"Hailey is really working with everyone, trying to expand their confidence," Bourque said. "She loves to take those 8-meters, but now, driving in is a really big part of her game, too. She’ll fake the original shot and then go in, and has great placement.

"We’re trying to make sure everyone is multidimensional. We’re trying to make sure everyone can have a shot and then also have a move to go in."

Schnider, who will continue to play at Merrimack College next year, knows that she and the other seniors have to step up, but also find ways to get the underclassmen involved and prepare them for years to come.

"We’re in that position and you have to be the … not carry the team, but be the backbone," she said. "I’m very excited to bring the team together. I know when I was a freshman, we were all scared of the seniors. I don’t want the underclassmen to feel like that. We’re a team, no matter what grade we’re in or how old we are. We’re one unit."