If you took a glance at the 2016 girls’ varsity lacrosse roster, you would be shocked to see that underclassmen outnumber upperclassmen two to one. Most varsity teams are typically composed of mainly junior and seniors, but girls lacrosse has decided to take an equally successful path of supporting a younger team this year.

“They are much more enthusiastic,” varsity Head Coach James Moy said. “As they progress from freshman year to senior year, they tend to get less enthusiastic. We have a lot of energy.”

In the off-season, girls were encouraged to attend fall and winter intramurals, summer league and play on travel teams to heighten their skills while building bonds with their perspective teammates.

“From traveling to tournaments and practicing every day together, there is a huge team bonding effort,” team member Rachel Kocek ‘17 said. “Team unity is important because to be able to play well on the field you need to be able to play as a team. Each individual player contributes to the game and when everyone is working together and the dynamic of the team is good then that’s when you start accomplishing your goals.”

With team unity at the forefront of the program, the girls attempt to learn more about each other off the field. From going out to a local breakfast joint to a competitive game of laser tag, the girls’ varsity lacrosse team aims to build a strong relationship with their teammates this season, and not create a divide among classes.

“There really isn’t a divide. It is just the upperclassmen have more experience playing in the high school level against other high school teams,” team member Hannah Greving ‘19 said. “As a whole, we are able to work nicely together but we are still learning the strengths and weaknesses of each player.”

Last year, the team went 17-7 and was ranked 11^th in state. In order to continue forward and build upon past successes, Moy intends to keep a talented group of subs in his back pocket to maintain a well-rounded team.

“Starters can always get hurt or sick and if we don’t have quality subs, we are in trouble when those starters can’t play for whatever reason,” Moy said. “I will give subs more playing time in games this year so that they have game experience and are comfortable when they have to replace a starter.”

To have a successful season, Moy plans to incorporate a new motion-oriented offensive scheme to put more pressure on the other team during their offensive transition. If the girls acquire “lacrosse intelligence” to understand the fundamental concepts and strategy of the game, then the team will bring home the W more often this year, he said.

Girls lacrosse is scheduled next to face off against Palatine on April 9 at Bennett Field.