With a record of 12-10 last season, the girls lacrosse team looks to come back stronger and more powerful with both their new and returning athletes. 

“The new athletes have been doing an amazing job adjusting to the varsity team,” returning player Amanda Hahn ‘23 said. “And the underclassmen have also been bringing great energy to the team.”

Last year, the girls were very proud of their playoff run, and are aiming to make another one and hopefully go even farther this time around, Hahn said. 

Similar to other sports, their last season was cut short due to COVID-19, so they had limited opportunities to play. Even with a full season this year, the team has still been struggling with a few injuries early in the season,  Hahn said. Hahn has been playing lacrosse since first grade and has been on varsity all four years. She is one of their captains this year, and was also one last year as a sophomore.

“This season I’m super excited to see how we can grow as a team with such a young group,” Hahn said. “We have so much potential to better ourselves.”

Another returning player, Aubrey Decker ‘22, has been playing lacrosse for 10 years, however won’t be continuing in college. Decker, who will be attending the University of Maryland, is instead planning to continue her lacrosse career, not as a player, but as a fan at one of the best lacrosse schools in the country, according to the NCAA. 

“My biggest goal is just to walk away at the end of the season knowing I left it all on the field,” Decker said. “Every single game, every single practice.”

This year the team is focusing on communication and team chemistry, varsity head coach Cecilia Luxem said. Along with that, they are working on improving transitions and new defense sets. With their defense being the strongest part of the team, they will focus more on their midfield transitions and making them clean and seamless, Madison Radtke ‘22 said. 

“Without a clean transition, it is impossible to have possession of the ball,” Radtke said. “And against really good teams, it kills us.”

Radtke has been playing lacrosse since eighth grade, and wanted to play at the collegiate level for most of her athletic career. However, at the start of junior year, she decided she would rather focus on her academics instead of lacrosse. Radtke is confident that the team will finish with a strong winning record, and  is excited to watch the team grow together, especially with the six new underclassmen athletes.

“I don’t have any doubts about the team coming back as strong as last year,” Radtke said. “Only a handful of our starters did not return and in addition to last year’s roster, we gained a few influential freshman and sophomores that are already starting on varsity.”

The girls have many pasta parties throughout the season where they can learn about each other and form friendships off the field, which is crucial to their playing on the field. Luxem is excited to play every game with a positive attitude and positive result. Win or loss, they will walk away learning something new from it, feeling proud about their skills and whatever they accomplished in the game, Luxem said.

“I love being around these players because they keep things light and lively,” Luxem said. “They are a goofy, fun group that get along really well, and I am very excited to watch them grow and develop this season.”

The team plays their last game before sectionals tonight at 7 pm on Bennett Field against Mother McAuley HS.