Teanna Sieben found a love for box lacrosse a few years ago, and parlayed it into several outstanding seasons in the Estevan Minor Box Lacrosse Association, even winning an award for the Female Athlete of the Year from the Saskatchewan Lacrosse Association.
But it’s been her abilities in field lacrosse that have taken her to the next level of the sport.
Sieben is entering her second season with the Lenoir-Rhyne University Bears in Hickory, N.C., a Division 2 athletics program. They reached the South Atlantic Conference championship game, with Sieben playing a key role for the team. She started more than half of their games.
“I’m very proud of how far we’ve come,” said Sieben. “We worked very hard to get to where we wanted to be.”
In 2018, they defeated Charlotte Queens in the championship game, which is their biggest rival.
Half of the Bears players last season were freshman, so they weren’t sure how strong the team would be this season. They were trying to get to know each other and find out how they would play with each other.
“We came together pretty quickly,” said Sieben.
There were challenges for Sieben, as she moved across the continent to join the Bears. She didn’t know anyone when she arrived, but they were able to build relationships among teammates.
“We have each other’s backs no matter, which I’m really happy about,” she said.
Sieben also earned the defensive player of the week honours early in the season, which boosted her confidence, and helped her believe in herself.
Her introduction to box lacrosse came a few years ago when she was 14, but she didn’t start playing field lacrosse until three years ago. There are a lot of differences between the two forms of the sport.
“Field lacrosse, it’s played on the soccer field. You have 10 players plus the goalie. For girls, it’s more of a strategic sport. There’s no contact for female lacrosse.”
In box lacrosse, the players are much more aggressive., and it has five players on the court at once, plus the goalie.
“Plus the goalie, there’s a huge difference. In box lacrosse, you look like a sumo wrestler. In field lacrosse, it’s helmet, gloves and chest protector.”
Sieben enjoys field lacrosse more, not only because she doesn’t have to wear as much equipment, but because she can step up out of the crease and help her teammates in the rush.
But the net is much larger in field lacrosse as six feet high and six feet wide.
The Estevan Minor Box Lacrosse Association has played a big role in her development. Her success in that organization allowed her to join a field lacrosse team in Moose Jaw, which led to her joining the Calgary Elevate, and eventually gaining a scholarship.
“The coaches for the Elevate, they really want you to get a scholarship in the States. They will drive you for success and get you into school, because all those coaches they went through the same thing that I’m going through right now, and they said it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to them. They fought hard for each player in that Elevate program to get into school and play the sport that they love.”
Sieben is studying exercise science, which is similar to kinesiology. She is spending the summer working for the City of Estevan, and training for the upcoming season, while enjoying playing women’s soccer.
