Morgan's Message is clear with Woodcreek lacrosse

Woodcreek's varsity girls lacrosse team brought mental health to the forefront of athletics before its game against Roseville on April 4. The Timberwolves, for the fourth year, spoke of Morgan Rodgers, a lacrosse player from Duke University who committed suicide in 2019 after battling depression, a condition no one knew she had. Rodgers' death and the importance of mental health is a subject that hit home with Woodcreek lacrosse coach Mike Strong and his daughter, Addie, a senior co-captain on the team, and they decided to play one game a season in Morgan's honor. "This night is all about mental health and mental health awareness," Strong said. "Morgan was a lacrosse player at Duke who unfortunately committed suicide. Nobody knew she suffered from depression, severe depression. There are tons of athletes that suffer from this because of the pressure of school, of playing lacrosse and because of other life things going on. "The whole purpose of this is to bring awareness to mental health and how important it is. With my girls at Woodcreek, I tell them that I want to make sure they're OK every night. We talk about mental health. Playing lacrosse should be fun. It should be a learning experience that translates to life. It shouldn't be a bunch of pressure to win. Playing lacrosse at this age is more about having fun and learning life lessons." Mayce Corbridge, a Woodcreek senior captain, talked about the importance of mental health. "Morgan's Message is very powerful to me," Corbridge said. "I started playing lacrosse my freshman year when my sister was a senior and I didn't know about Morgan. When I researched it, it was powerful to me. It really opened my eyes to the importance of mental health in sports." Strong's daughter Addie has been a driving force behind Woodcreek recognizing Morgan's Message the last four years. "I feel like depression is not talked about enough," Addie said. "A lot of coaches, athletes and programs don't focus on mental health as much as they should, especially when it comes to athletes. A lot of people underestimate how important mental health is and how it can affect you on and off the field. "This is an important message to get out there, that there is a person behind every athlete. I think mental health is just as important as physical health, especially when it comes to sports." As for the game, Woodcreek defeated Roseville 13-3 to improve to 9-3 overall while Roseville fell to 5-6. Strong scored eight goals while Natalie Sabanikh scored three goals and Lauren Seivert and Lily Grover both scored one. Woodcreek goalie Faye Lopez held Roseville to only three goals.