ST. JOSEPH, Minn. - When
Chloe Lewis elected not to play lacrosse during her senior season in high school, the current College of Saint Benedict sophomore thought she was leaving the sport behind for good.
"I just wanted some time to have fun with friends before my senior year ended," said Lewis, an Osseo High School graduate. "I wasn't planning to play the sport in college, so it didn't really seem like a big deal."
Instead, Lewis continued to focus on hockey – the sport in which she was a two-time all-conference pick in high school while playing for her father Jeremy, the head coach of the Osseo/Park Center program.
Lewis played all 24 games as a first-year hockey play at CSB, helping lead the Bennies to 14 wins, which tied for the most victories in a season in program history.
Meanwhile, head coach Patrick Crandall was getting the CSB lacrosse program off the ground, and several hockey players came aboard for the team's first season as a varsity sport last spring.
That, in turn, helped entice Lewis – a forward in hockey, but a goalie in lacrosse – to take the plunge as well.
"I came to school here to play hockey, but some friends were playing lacrosse and they talked about how they needed a goalie," said Lewis, who played lacrosse from fifth grade through her junior year in high school.
"I figured why not give it a shot. And now here I am," said Lewis.
Lewis quickly established herself as a standout, playing every minute of the season in net as the Bennies surprised everyone by going 11-3 and winning the Midwest Women's Lacrosse Conference regular-season title in their inaugural season in the league.
Lewis – who was named to the All-MWLC first team – finished the year with 142 saves and a .546 save percentage.
"We got really lucky when she decided to come out for the team," Crandall said. "She's a phenomenal goalie. Her hand-eye coordination is incredible. It's a natural instinct some people just have and she's one of them. She had an amazing season for us last year."
So now the question becomes what do Lewis and the rest of her teammates do for an encore?
"Last year, we surprised everyone – including ourselves," Lewis said. "This year, everyone knows about us. We know the games are going to be a lot harder. We have to focus on implementing the system we've been taught and working hard every time out. We know what we're capable of, and if we keep a positive attitude, things will work out."
CSB is currently off to a 1-2 start, but picked up its first victory with a 19-4 road win over Milwaukee School of Engineering Sunday (March 10). Lewis allowed a season-low four goals in 60 minutes in net.
Crandall said statistical success is only part of what makes her so vital to the program.
"Any time you find a goalie who's a natural leader, it's huge," he said. "She's someone her teammates look up to and respect. She took on a leadership role for us right away and that's continued into this season."
A political science major on the pre-law track, Lewis hopes to one day attend law school.
"I've always liked the law and people seem to think I'd be successful at it," she said. "I've been told I'm pretty good at arguing."
She proven herself to be pretty good at both hockey and lacrosse too.
"It can be a challenge to try and balance two sports," said Lewis, who finished with three goals and three assists on the ice this past season for a team that finished 11-12-2 (7-9-2) as the Bennies recorded double-digit wins for the third straight year. "But during hockey season, I just focus on hockey. And during lacrosse, I focus on lacrosse.
"When I'm in a season, I'm all in. And my coaches have been really understanding about that. That's made it a lot easier to do both."
