From the goal to God’s plan: Local lacrosse coach starts club league
ST. JOSEPH, MO (News-Press NOW) -- Mackenzie Porter knows what it’s like to hold the line when the pressure is high.
As a former Division I lacrosse goalie, she stood in the net with nerves of steel, ready to block whatever came her way.
Now, she’s taking that same courage, vision, and faith beyond the crease and into the heart of St. Joseph- with a mission to empower the next generation of girls through the sport that shaped her.
"So I played on my high school team from seventh grade all the way up to my senior year," Porter said. "But in that time, it was in 10th grade when I committed to play Division I at Rutgers."
Porter is an account executive at News-Press NOW and is also a high school lacrosse coach.
She's building the very thing she had growing up in New York: a dedicated lacrosse club.
The club, The Mighty MO League, is still in its early stages, but the vision is clear: create a place where young girls can grow in confidence, develop grit, and find their voice, through lacrosse.
"I want this to be an opportunity for girls to fit in, because that's exactly what my youth program was for me, and gave me a group of friends that I had all the way up through high school," Porter said.
In a city where lacrosse is still gaining traction, Porter’s club could be the spark that lights a movement. One rooted not just in athletics, but in faith.
"I actually was kind of thinking back to when the Lord first kind of touched my heart and he met me in my mess," Porter said. "He actually met me at lacrosse practice in my third year here in Missouri through a teammate who asked to pray over me when I was having a really, really hard day."
Building a program from the ground up takes a village. Porter is calling on the St. Joseph community to help bring this dream to life through donations of gently-used gear, financial contributions, and community partnerships.
"I have things in there that can go directly to my house. If they wanted to Venmo or donate money, they could reach out to me through that Facebook page as well if they're looking to help," Porter said. "I had people who are also looking just to help out coaching, and they never even coached the sport, but they just want to learn."
If you're interested in supporting Porter’s girls’ lacrosse club in St. Joseph, visit Mighty Mo Lacrosse on Facebook.
