Girls lacrosse has high hopes

The 2005 girls lacrosse team has high hopes for its upcoming season as they look to build on last years 6-7 season with the help of a strong core of returning players and young players full of potential. Blair expects to compete with the top teams in the county and establish Blair as a dangerous program in the county.

Senior co-captains Lauren Finkel and Erica Nowak will lead the Blazers offensively while senior Christina Ji will anchor the defense.

Coach Mike Horne feels the team has the potential to have a very successful season and will have a high-powered offense and steady defense. "We play good team defense and have a pretty capable offense. We need a little more depth in the midfield," said Horne.

The team returns the core of the defensive unit with seniors Ji, Vicky Dean, and Alexa Gabriel along with junior Julie Spatz. Horne sees Ji as the emotional and fiery leader of the defense, while Dean and Gabriel provide speed and athleticism. Behind them senior Betsy Costillo will take over the starting goalie position.

The Blazers attack returns several key players from last year including Nowak who was one of the top scorers from the 2004 season and named 2nd team all-division. Junior Kiran Belani will step into a starting spot on the attack.

The midfield lacks depth but has several talented players and will be lead by Finkel who is the top returning scorer and who was named 2nd team all county last year. Finkel will play at the center position and provide the Blazers with an offensive spark with her speed and stick skills. Junior Maddie Driskill will look to assert herself as one of the top players on the team and provide offense and solid defense from the midfield. Junior Diana Frey will probably move from attack to the midfield as her speed and defensive skills will be beneficial.

Blair also adds a new member to the coaching staff, with assistant coach Angela Kuttner, who formerly coached high school lacrosse in Illinois.

Nowak expects that the team will do well this season as the girls have been working hard in the off-season by playing in winter leagues and conditioning after school. Nowak feels that the players motivate each other to work hard and improve.

Horne believes that the girls have come into the season well prepared. "The girls have been working hard in the off-season and it has showed early in tryouts," said Horne.

Both Horne and the girls are looking forward to their season and making up for some of their disheartening close losses from last season. Nowak is particularly excited about playing Blake and Wootton, who knocked the Blazers out of the playoffs last season.

The Blazers have the potential to compete with the top teams in the county with a balanced team and strong leadership. However, some younger players will need to step-up and provide the team with needed depth.

Horne feels that the team needs to play at a high-level for a full 50 minutes each game and come together as a cohesive unit. "They need to play complete games and play together as a team," said Horne.

Blair will get their first test against St, John's on Saturday, March 11 in their first preseason scrimmage after having two scrimmages cancelled to wet and snowy conditions. The regular season begins against Poolesville on Monday, March 21 at 7:00 p.m.