Shawnee shines in girls’ lacrosse opener
It's going to rain one of these days.
It's going to rain one of these days.
It's going to be cold and windy, cloudy in the sky and stormy on the field.
It can't be sunny every day for Shawnee.
Can it?
"They're that good," Lenape girls' lacrosse coach Jill McCarthy said after the visiting Renegades matched Thursday's weather, brilliant play for glorious ray.
On a picture perfect day, Shawnee played a practically perfect game.
Of course, Shawnee coach Janae Zechman didn't see her team's 18-4 victory quite that way. She's a coach. What's she going to say? We peaked on opening day?
"We can do better," Zechman said. "We made a lot of mistakes."
Shawnee, the No. 2 team in The Inquirer Super Six, led, 7-0, after 15 minutes. It was 11-1 at halftime. It was 15-1 with around 11 minutes remaining in the second half.
Here's the thing: Lenape is a good team. The Indians are the No. 5 team in South Jersey. They have lots of top athletes.
"They're really good," Shawnee junior attack Karlee Dean said.
Shawnee received five goals from sophomore attack Nicole Troost and four from junior attack Alexis Newman. Dean had three goals and two assists.
The Renegades' best player might have been junior goalie Alex Zaugra, who made seven saves. Six of her stops came in the first half, a few from point-blank range.
"It's a totally different game if she doesn't play a great game," Zechman said of Zaugra. "[Lenape] had a ton of shots. Her play made a world of difference."
Shawnee is young, with just two seniors in the starting lineup. But the Renegades have one of South Jersey's best junior classes, led by Dean, Newman, defender Kristin Kocher and midfielder Becky Stiles.
There seems to be more than talent at work, too. The Renegades' teamwork and passing was in late-season form.
"We have great chemistry," said Kocher, who scored the game's first goal when she stole a pass, raced downfield, juked a defender and buried a shot in the back of the net. "We get each other."
McCarthy said she wasn't surprised by Shawnee. She had seen the Renegades in a couple of preseason scrimmages.
"They were beating teams by like 19-2," McCarthy said. "I knew how good they were. I just thought we could hang with them a little better."
Led by Carly Walters and Emily Duffey, Lenape showed some spirit in the second half, creating some momentum for the next game, and the one after that.
It's a long season. It won't always be lousy for Lenape.
It won't always be sunny for Shawnee.
Will it?
"I'd like to see us play like this every game," Zechman said.
Shawnee 11 7 – 18
Lenape 1 3 – 4
S: Nicole Troost 5, Alexis Newman 4, Karlee Dean 3, Kristen Mutch 2, Kristin Kocher 2, Marina Mesires, Becky Stiles.
L: Carly Walters 2, Emily Duffey, Rebecca Meyers.
Saves: Alex Zaugra, S, 7; Caroline Huelster, L, 5.