“On our way home from our first game, we are all talking about it and the girls are extremely excited," said McGarvie. "Despite the loss of, I think maybe 11 to 1, they were already in the mindset of what can we do better.”

Sophomore Tylashia Joyner said lacrosse has kept her away from negative things, and more focused on her future. “I will want to play in college because it will keep me in shape and it will help me stay focused and want to do something. Because if you want to play a sport, you have to have your grades up.”

If you are counting wins, it was a tough season for Ballou. But you wouldn’t know that from the look on the girls’ faces. Diane Jones said she will definitely play again next year.

"We had good times even though we lost all our games," said Jones. "We played good for it to be our first season of play.”

Ballou has already improved its graduation rate by 10 to 15 percent since 2006. Administrators expect that to continue to improve, and for lacrosse to be a part of it.