Baldwin's Warren has a knack for net

When Baldwin freshman Sloan Warren reached 104 goals for the season on April 29 by scoring nine times in a 17-16 win over previously unbeaten Episcopal, it sent some observers scrambling for the record books to see how she measured up.

Unfortunately, record-keeping on a national - or even state - basis for high school lacrosse is sketchy at best and nonexistent at worst.

For example, a recent National Federation of State High Schools record book listed Amanda Mazzarella of Bayshore, N.Y., as the only girls' high school player to have scored more than 100 goals in a season.

Mazzarella set a New York state record of 118 goals in 1995. But that mark was wiped out last season by Shannon Smith of West Babylon, N.Y., when she scored 129 goals. Several girls from Southeastern Pennsylvania also have scored 100 or more goals in a season.

Warren appears to be tops in this area with 126 goals for this season.

"The goals have never been the focus of my play," said Warren, who has been playing for the Bears' varsity since seventh grade. "I just want to help the team win. With Emma Hamm gone [to graduation], I knew I would have to do more scoring this year. But we have other scorers like Maggie Mae Shields, too."

The Inter-Academic League, of which Baldwin is a member, permits seventh and eighth graders to play varsity, while PIAA member high schools (the PIAA is a member of the NFHS) may not play students until they reach ninth grade.

With Warren leading the way, the Bears compiled a 13-6 overall record this season, 6-6 in the league. Three of their losses were by two goals or fewer.

"Her knowledge of lacrosse is at a very high level," second-year Baldwin coach Kathleen Simone said of Warren. "Her experience with club lacrosse and AAU basketball has helped her. She reads the field very well."

A 5-foot-9 guard/forward for the basketball team, Warren averaged 13.8 points and 8.6 rebounds last season. On the lacrosse field, Warren is quicker than most opponents and the owner of an amazing shot.

"She's not just a scorer," Simone said. "She's a very good playmaker. She has 44 assists."

Ginny Miles scored 106 goals in a season for Great Valley in 2002. That appears to have been the most on record in this area until Warren surpassed it. Other 100-goal scorers from this area include Radnor's Jen Graham (104) and Michelle Menser (101), and Gwynedd-Mercy's Bergan Foley (100). Graham graduated in 1994, Menser in 2005. Foley set her mark last year.