by Sean James ’19
The varsity girls lacrosse team started off the season with a 3-4 record and looks to add to their win column in their next game against Berkshire on Saturday, April 28.
Senior Co-captain Julia Lantieri said the team usually tries to focus on being present in practice and leaving everything that happens during the school day off the field.“We just want to be mentally there so that we are fully engaged in practice,” she said.
Lantieri said that the team stresses giving 100 percent all the time and that even though everyone messes up, it is important to focus on what you do after that fact. “Playing for each other is huge, so picking people up when they mess up is big,” she said. Head Coach Tim Allerton attested to that as well. “I say work together and hard for each other, and be responisble for mistakes,” said Coach Allerton.
Senior Co-captain Abby Eberle said the season has had its ups and downs, but she really believes they set the tone with their 9-8 overtime victory against Pomfret on April 4. “All of our games will be competitive this year, so our record will come down to how hard we work and gel as a team,” she said.
Eberle emphasized the importance of positivity. “A good season to me doesn’t need to be the best overall record. I hope we will be over .500 this season, and I believe we can accomplish that goal,” she said. “However, I hope throughout the season that we are able to stay a tight-knit, positive team that has so many amazing memories to look back on.”
Eberle said she really wants 2018 to be a year to remember for ko(re)lax and they definitely have the athletes to do it.
Senior Eliza Charette said her favorite moment was beating Pomfret. “My freshman year we pulled out a win over them, but the last two years we have fell short in the second half, losing our initial lead,” she said.“This year, we never gave in, and we stayed upbeat the whole game. Our team really pulled it together and played like a real unit, which was really exciting to see as it was our first game of the season.”
Charette said she and the rest of the seniors try to consistently lead the team to stay excited and hyped up for the upcoming games and season in general. “This year, there is a tournament that we have a chance of being part of, so we really have something to strive for,” she said. “It is important for our team to focus on every individual game so we get the spot in the tournament that we want.”
Coach Allerton said his entire defense has improved from last year. Sophomore goalie Amelia Levine has also stepped up. Additional defenders include seniors Olivia Rossi and Noa Boyd, and sophomores Maggie Eberle and Molly Jones.
Coach Allerton also commented on how hard working junior Mia Seymour is. He also praised his two leaders, Eberle and Lantieri.
Junior Nicole Genga said she thinks this team has improved tremendously since last year. “I think many people have built confidence as well as built their stick skills,” she said.
“I especially noticed [juniors] Jane Dunbar and Molly Jones having the confidence and ability to run the ball up from the defensive zone to the attacking zone, which is a difficult thing to do as a defender. I also want to give a shout-out to [junior] Jacqueline Dugan for gaining so much confidence and building so much as a player since last year and scoring her first goal against Cheshire.”
Lantieri also said since she’s been a freshman on the team, the team hasn’t had a losing season, so finishing off with a winning season this year would be a perfect way to end the season.
Charette said that the team is really talented across the field, from defense to offense, so if they are able to play at their best this season, then she can definitely see them in the tournament.
Genga also stressed that this is one of the most talented teams KO has ever had.
Genga said she thinks that the girls are capable of qualifying for the tournament if they keep their spirits up, stay together, work hard, and perservere.
