OREM, Utah — The Utah Valley University women's lacrosse team is the ultimate underdog, with win after win this season earning them a ranking of number four in the entire country.
The team is entirely student-funded and was qualified for a dream opportunity to compete nationally at the WCLA National Tournament in Wichita, Kansas.
With a 6-1 record, the team has had the most successful season in program history and has upset teams such as BYU, Arizona State and Colorado.
"Last year we were D2 so moving up the division we were pretty hesitant, we weren't going to move up," explained Lacrosse Club President Rebekaah Sheperd. "We just had a lot of confidence going into the D1 season and we just went full power on."
Now that the team has the record, they are facing a new challenge. Funding.
"We don't have any support from the school, we don't get any gear," explained player Shea Munger.
"We have to pay for refs, we have to pay for travel," Sheperd added. "And we have to somehow budget that."
Saying fundraising efforts have been difficult, players may be forced to pay out of pocket to compete at the national level.
"So we have a fee we all have to pay in the beginning of the season but if we make it to nationals, the fees we have to pay don't cover to go to nationals," Sheperd explained. "So we all have to fundraise, get our own funds and if we aren't able to fundraise, we have to pay out of pocket."
Under their practice dome in Utah County, the FOX 13 Dream Team visited the team to give them a highly-deserved boost on their road to competition.
The lacrosse team was presented with $2,000 to help with travel costs associated with the trip.
