Lacrosse heats up on home turf
Senior varsity goalie Katy Sharretts saves another goal another goal in the first game on the new turf on April 7. The women’s team lost 8-6 to McDonogh, but has an 11-4 record and will face McDonogh again in the semifinals on May 9.
The clock ticks down in a tied game, with a crowd of students gathering for the Senior Game. The ball is flung in the air and caught. Sweat dripping from her face, looking down at the ball in her stick, varsity midfielder and junior Kelley Reilley starts to sprint. She goes left, goes right, takes a half spin and drives in.
Untouched, Reilley scores the eventual game-winning goal in a 13-12 game on April 23 against Maryvale.
“This team is special. They work together as a single unit on and off the field and that’s really unique,” varsity women’s head coach Abigail Swift said.
Although it is Swift’s first year being a head coach on a high school level, she has coached club lacrosse for several years.
The team currently stands as the No. 4 seed in the A conference of the IAAM, boasting a 7-4 conference record and 11-4 overall record. They advanced to the semifinals after beating Severn 8-7 on May 6 and will face McDonogh May 9.
According to varsity captain and goalie Katy Sharretts, alongside the coaching change, there has also been a new vibe and charisma surrounding the team. “This year is different, we are a really close team. When the best players play well, the entire team catches that vibe,” Sharretts said.
“Things happen, games don’t go your way, but that’s when I feel we come together the closest,” Reilley said.
The team is made up of 12 seniors, 10 juniors, and two sophomores. “We really have great leadership on this team,” Sharetts said.
The leadership is apparent to Swift as well. “[seniors] [Sharetts] and Caroline [Sdanowich] and Kara [Klages] are our captains, but they aren’t our only leaders,” Swift said. “[Seniors] Chantae [Simms] and Emory [Gaeng] provide leadership too. [Simms] really leads by example and [Gaeng] leads the attack.”
In the midst of a successful season and the energy surrounding the program, it is easy to lose focus on the opponents at hand, by thinking of the championship too much, according to Reilley.
“We take one day at a time and get better in that day,” Swift said. “This team is definitely capable of winning the championship, but we need to take it a day at a time.”
Kishan Patel is a Sports Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.