Focusing on little things has Nixon, Stover and Yale surging

Ask a head coach at any level — whether it’s prep, collegiate or professional — and he or she will tell you how important the offseason is. It’s the time for teams and players to review what went wrong in the prior season and make changes heading into a new campaign.

Whatever the Yale women’s lacrosse team did this past offseason has worked in spades, as the Bulldogs raced out to a 6-3 record after finishing in the Ivy League cellar in 2017. A year removed from just one conference win, Yale won its first two Ivy League games en route to the program’s best start since 2002.

Led by third-year head coach Erica LaGrow, the Bulldogs also recorded significant wins against previously ranked opponents, including Albany and UMass.

What’s behind the uptick? Senior leadership, defense and increased attention to detail.