The girls lacrosse team, 8-4, has had an auspicious season, perhaps propelling them into a solid post-season run.
As of right now, the team holds the top Susquehannock defensive and top offensive records for girls lacrosse, which are based on the least number of goals scored by opposing teams and the most goals scored, according to head coach Steve Marshner.
Junior and goalie Amber Orner predicts a long rest of the season to come as well as a strong post-season run.
“We don’t give up,” said Orner. “I feel like we’ll go far and hopefully go to the second round of districts.”
On April 11, the girls faced off against Kennard-Dale in a suspenseful matchup. According to GameTimePA, the Rams beat the Warriors 17-11 mostly due to their 9-3 lead at halftime. Orner had 12 saves, and senior Carley VanLuit netted four goals.
Coming back from their tough loss, the girls swept their game against Spring Grove with a winning score of 19-2 on April 14. The top scorers for the game were freshman Gena Speights and senior Katelyn Welch, who scored four goals each. Sophomore Morgan LeBlanc added three more goals, and three other players contributed two goals apiece.
The girls secured another standout win against Southwestern, who they have never beaten before, on April 16. By dominating in goals in the second half, the Warriors came back from a losing score at halftime to winning 11-9. With four goals and three assists, junior Ashley Valway was a major contributor to the victory.
Marshner has seen a lot of successes so far but points out that improvements can still be made for the team to reach its full potential.
“We have had a huge improvement in our defense overall,” said Marshner. “We have given up, on average, three less goals a game than last year. However, our biggest weakness right now is playing consistently throughout the game and getting into holes and having to dig ourselves out.”
The fairly young team has succeeded in overcoming the inexperience of many girls at the beginning of the season, resulting in a very close-knit team.
Orner, who came into the season with experience, praises the unity within the team this year.
“There’s a lot more teamwork than in previous years,” said Orner. “It’s a huge difference because we’re actually a team instead of cliques.”
So far this season, the girls have been pleased overall with their performance. Freshman, attack and midfield player Kate LeBlanc commends the girls on their progress.
“Our successes have been our amount of wins and how we have worked together as a team pretty well,” said LeBlanc. “We couldn’t do it if we were just scoring by ourselves.”
Meanwhile, the girls prepare for their next games against Red Lion on Tuesday, April 22 and York Catholic on Thursday, April 24.
