Iona College’s lacrosse team, led by first-time head coach Lauren Kahn, is 3-3, already better than last season’s record.

The Gaels have been back and forth in their games, lacking a certain amount of consistency in their play. The team has trouble sticking to the game plan they come up with before the match.

Kahn believes in extensive scouting to understand the opponent before the match, then formulating a game plan to tackle where she sees fit. The Gaels sometimes go off track and the players play their own game.

“We constantly have to remind them to play Iona lacrosse and not worry about the opponent on the opposite side of the field,” Kahn said. “I think that’s been a huge learning curve for all of the girls.”

Lack of self-belief was a problem for the girls, according to Kahn. She aims to boost the team’s confidence more throughout the season, and she thinks it’s going well so far. The knowledge of the other team’s game plan combined with their confidence in their own ability will help push the Gaels to a new level.

Going into matches blindly causes second-guessing in situations where decisions need to be made immediately, Kahn said. Having the knowledge is important to prevent that, but playing their own game and believing in the skill they have is just as important.

With that confidence and self-belief comes leadership. Many seniors on the team have stepped up to keep the team’s chin up after tough losses and upsets.

“Our senior leadership this year is really, really, really strong,” Kahn said. “For me coming in as a new head coach, going into my first season, that’s something that I’ve really been appreciative of. They really set the standard as to preaching what I’m preaching, but also having a little bit of tough love.”

The team has a great sense of chemistry going into the thick of the season. Everyone seems to be on the same page as to how they plan to win the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, and things are being done to turn that dream into reality.

Defense is the strong point for the team while offense seems to be lacking here and there. Kahn hopes to fix whatever may be causing this by midseason to make sure the team is fully ready for the MAAC season ahead of them.