The girl’s lacrosse season is kicking off and teams on all three level have high hopes for the season. With tryouts over and teams finalized, coaches and players are super excited for the upcoming season. The frosh/soph team went 11-3 last season, the JV team went 8-4-1 last season, and the varsity team placed 6th in the state last season. There was success on all three levels but coaches and players see room for improvement this year.

There are lots of freshman and sophomores coming out this year to return to the frosh/soph team or are trying lacrosse for the first time. The frosh/soph team really works to learn the fundamentals of lacrosse. Frosh/Soph coach Mary Kate Lyons will be altering practices for further improvement of new and old players this season.

“I will be doing numerous drills simultaneously since there is a large of number of girls on the frosh/soph team,” Lyons said. “Since so many girls on the team will have had previous experience, I will be able to assist those who are new in a one-on-one setting. We will also be introducing a couple of new offensive plays this year and moving beyond a motion offense.”

Not only is Lyons prepared for this upcoming season, junior varsity coach Laurel Bradbury is very excited about the team and their goals this year.

“My goal every year is to have an overall winning record, meaning we won more games then we lost. My teams have done it the past three years so we have to keep our record,” Bradbury said. “Another goal would be to have every player know her strengths and then we all work together as a team to excel by playing off of each other’s strengths.”

Junior varsity player Maddie Goetz discusses her immense excitement for the season and reiterates the importance of Bradbury’s team goals for the season.

“I hope we go undefeated this season or improve upon our record from last season,” Goetz said. “I am really looking forward to playing lacrosse, spending time with teammates, and meeting the new teammates.”

JV and frosh/soph teams have had a great impact on building the girls lacrosse program. Varsity Coach Ryan Walz emphasizes the importance on continuing to build our program for success now and years to come.

“We have gone from 30 girls ten years ago to almost 100 girls trying out,” Walz said. “Girls are starting younger than ever and the sport is growing faster than ever. We are doing more camps and clinics and giving girls opportunities younger and it is really helping build our program. Our York Lacrosse girls coach youth lacrosse and help them get excited to come to York and play lacrosse.”

Walz is focused on building the program, but he is now really focused in on this upcoming season and the goals for the varsity team.

“We want to continue to be one of the elite eight teams in the state,” Walz said. “As a team we stress a balance of hard work and fun, but also we stress the importance of dedication, discipline, and desire. We will use these important components to get us to our goal.”

The varsity girls are also very excited and have big goals for the season. Captain and senior Issy Torres discusses how the preparation that has been done will enhance the team’s performance.

“My teammates and I have been putting in a lot of work this preseason with a lot of us going to the early morning open gyms on Wednesday and Fridays and making major GAINS,” said Torres. “The goals for the season are obviously beating some key rivals like Naperville North and making it farther in the playoffs.”

The excitement and passion for this season is really shown through from the coaches and players on all three levels. Based of their hard work during preseason and all the preparation that was put in to prepare for the season, it looks like there will be tremendous success on all three levels.