Girls’ Lacrosse Begins Season With Two Major Victories

Last week, the girls’ varsity lacrosse team played away in a scrimmage against Kimball Union Academy and in a home game against St. Mark’s School. The team battled hard in both games, defeating their opponents 11-6 and 12-7.

Having the KUA scrimmage before the St. Mark’s game allowed the team to settle in and find its stride. Lower Michaella McCarthy described the KUA match as “a great opportunity for our team to play in a game-like situation against opponents other than those we face at practice.” McCarthy went on to describe how the game helped the team develop a sense of comfort on the field and with one another.

Going into the St. Mark’s game, Big Red maintained their momentum, aware that St. Mark’s was going be both physically and mentally challenging. St. Mark’s won the Independent School League [ISL] championship last year, and its current roster has many talented players, including a team USA U19 player. “As the season opener, St. Marks posed a very threatening opposition … The way we were able to come out strong and battle for a full 50 minutes really exemplifies the way that we’ve been practicing and hopefully is a tribute to the mental toughness that will allow us to do great things this season,” McCarthy said.

“I feel like we all play well together as a team and that we have a feel for where each other are going, or the type of movement that we are trying to set up."

Prep Bella Hillman echoed McCarthy, describing the team’s overall resilience. “One of the themes of the season is to play the full 50 minutes of the game, and you could tell from our drive and our aggressiveness that there wasn’t a moment we weren’t trying to play hard,” Hillman said. The team never stopped working to pick up ground balls or to regain possession when they lost the ball.

Much of Exeter’s success was a result of their strong defense—in particular, their aggressiveness, positional awareness and strong communication. Lower Lauren Arkell commented on senior Allegra Grant’s goalkeeping. “Allegra, or as we call her, Legs, did a great job of keeping the ball out of our net in both games,” Arkell said.

The St. Mark’s game also felt Big Red’s offensive presence. The team created and capitalized on several chances, resulting in a win. “Some highlights of the game were when our players would have really impressive handles on the ball and come up with it out of traffic and progress our offensive movement into a breakaway, which helped us put up some points,” Hillman said.

These results and the team’s fast improvement since the beginning of the season serve as an indication of Big Red’s imminent success. “I feel like we all play well together as a team and that we have a feel for where each other are going, or the type of movement that we are trying to set up. And I think that comes after practicing and being with each other more than we were earlier in the season,” Hillman explained.

Next Wednesday, the team will travel to Governors, where they hope to continue their success and come away with a win.