On a crisp March morning, the excited yet prepared junior varsity girls lacrosse players found themselves facing off against the formidable Glenbrook South girls in the first game of their season. Tied at halftime, the girls struggled to put up with Glenbrook’s speed and talent. Sealing the victory with 10-8 at the final whistle, the team had set a precedent that would be consistent for the entire season: winning. Over the course of the season, they would go on to outscore their opponents 176-38 in total.

“From the first day of the season, we talked about the importance of teamwork, discipline, commitment, positive reinforcement and self-esteem,” seven-year JV coach Jonathan Schaefer said. “The girls bought in early on that no one person is bigger than the team. We reminded ourselves often of our shared vision: to become better lacrosse players, develop character through discipline and teamwork and promote healthy and active lifestyles.”

Established on the principles of winning draws (faceoffs), being aggressive on ground balls, making good passes and working hard, the team found resounding success. The historic season concluded with a record of 14-0, compared to the 9-3-2 season of last year.

“The positive and happy energy that coach Schaefer gives us was key to our success,” three-year player Chloe Smeltzer ’16 said.

Another reason for the team’s triumphs is its unique demographics. One of the most age-mixed athletic teams at LT, this year’s team had a roster of six freshmen, three sophomores, nine juniors and six seniors. This posed a challenge in building team chemistry, yet the team did a great job arranging social activities and displaying camaraderie, Schaefer said.

“Having six seniors on the team added a level of maturity that hadn’t been there in prior years,” Smeltzer said. “We also had a lot of experience to help out the younger players.”

The groundbreaking consistency of this team’s success will hopefully generate more interest in girls lacrosse, Schaefer said. Two of the underclassmen on JV have already begun training with varsity and the team is hopeful that this 14-0 record is an indicator for future successes for varsity.

Leading scorers were Keri Neuland ’17, 38 goals, and Sara Wilson ‘16 with 24 goals.

There is no conference tournament for the JV level, so they will remain undefeated.

“I’m really proud of all their hard work, effort, and most of all the classy way they carried themselves as representatives of both our program and our school,” Schaefer said. “I’m already looking forward to keeping the streak going next year!”