There’s more to a 0-8 record than meets the eye.

For Maryland’s 2017 Tewaaraton recipient Zoe Stukenberg, who experienced three losses in her last four years as a Terp, those losses were lessons.

After accepting a position as a ninth and 10th grade biology teacher with Teach for America at Patterson High School in Baltimore, which has 92 percent minority enrollment, Stukenberg successfully led the first girls’ lacrosse team to complete a full season with enough academically eligible players – despite zero wins.

“I am passionate about learning more and trying at least for now to make a little shockwave,” Stukenberg said. “This season was a ton of fun. Was I perfect? Absolutely not. All I’m doing is giving them the opportunity to showcase how awesome they are. That’s all they need from me – the chance to show how amazing they are – and they take care of the rest.”

While their goal may have been to compete, it was more about trying new experiences, learning about leadership and accountability, as well as finding their identities.

The Ellicott City, Md., native’s passions for lacrosse and inequity led her straight into the nearby city, where, in small pockets, lacrosse is off the ground thanks to organizations like Harlem Lacrosse and individuals like Stukenberg looking to improve the sport’s accessibility.

“My girls’ access to lacrosse is inequitable and I’m working to make lacrosse more accessible in Baltimore City,” Stukenberg said. “I’m not the first person to do that. I can teach kids to do stick tricks and catch and throw and still fail as a coach. At the same time, I can go 0-8 and still feel successful as a coach.”

Taking her team to watch her alma mater play was the most eye-opening experience for the first-year high school coach.

But it wasn’t the team’s first college game experience that moved Stukenberg. It was the fact that they didn’t see many players on the field that looked like them. Afterward, Stukenberg discovered the nearby Dunbar (Md.) girls’ team instead attended a game at Howard, a historically black college.

“I should’ve done a better job,” Stukenberg said. “That went over my head and I didn’t even realize because everywhere I looked all the lacrosse players looked like me. … What unspoken messages are we passing on to our kids and our Baltimore City lacrosse players? It’s been really eye-opening for me to learn more. I have felt humbled.”