Lacrosse has been a part of Winthrop freshman Chloe Patterson’s life since she was in the second grade.
During her childhood back in her hometown of Roswell, Georgia the local high school would advertise their youth lacrosse program. She was on her way to softball practice when, on a whim, her dad changed the trajectory of her future.
He asked Patterson if she wanted to try lacrosse to which she responded “Why not!”
Patterson’s father signed her up that same night, and she’s been playing the sport ever since.
Patterson always enjoyed lacrosse, but it wasn’t until sixth grade that she realized the sport was truly her passion in life.
“From second to sixth grade, I had fun playing lacrosse but that’s all it really was to me. Just something to do because it was fun,” she said.
“Towards the end of sixth grade I realized that lacrosse was more than just fun for me and that I had a real passion for it. I decided I wanted to take lacrosse more seriously and started playing for a club team and not just the youth recreational team. This is when my dream of playing college lacrosse developed.”
Things went smoothly for Patterson until she began high school. That’s when her love of the sport was tested by her coaches and teammates alike.
“It made me dread going to lacrosse everyday, which had never happened to me before,” she said.
“I was on a team where most of the girls didn’t really care about lacrosse. They weren’t very nice either. On top of that, I had coaches that weren’t very supportive or encouraging.”
Luckily for Patterson the coronavirus pandemic gave her an opportunity to transfer schools for her junior and senior year of high school.
“By transferring I got into a much more positive environment lacrosse-wise, which I am super grateful for,” she said.
“Transferring definitely gave me my love for the game back.”
Patterson ended her high school career strong by helping Blessed Trinity High School win the state championship her senior year.
“It was a super fun way to end my high school career and everyone on that team really came together to make it happen,” she said.
However, this wasn’t enough to compare to Patterson’s first game of collegiate lacrosse–a scrimmage Winthrop hosted against Wofford. The level of excitement she reached in this game was unlike anything she’d ever experienced previously.
She called it her favorite memory playing lacrosse.
“The energy was electric and I have never had more fun playing lacrosse than I did in that game,” she said.
“The energy from the team was unlike anything I had ever been a part of. Everyone was just having fun grinding and playing for each other. It was so fun to take the field with everyone and also see some of my fellow freshman score their first collegiate goals. I have never had more fun playing lacrosse than I did in that game,” Patterson said.
On and off the field this euphoria has remained constant. Patterson notes Winthrop’s team chemistry, hard-working culture and support for each other as some of the main reasons she’s enjoyed her time playing lacrosse for the Eagles.
“What I love most about Winthrop lacrosse is the team dynamic. Everyone shows up to practice everyday wanting to give their best effort to make their teammates better. I’ve never been on a team with girls that are more hardworking, intentional and caring,” she said.
“I hope to win a Big South Championship with this awesome team!” Patterson said of the future.
Patterson and the Eagles lacrosse team have 14 games left on their schedule to chase this goal by the time their season finishes against Longwood on April 29.
