NU’s influence matters at Montini

Blame it on Northwestern University.

Montini sophomore midfielder Erin Steiner and classmate Sarah Lugo were first introduced to the lacrosse game in Evanston.

“I went to a Northwestern game before I even knew what lacrosse was all about,” she said. “It looked really interesting. We had heard how good they were and Sarah and I went to the game and watched them play. We had heard of it before and heard it was the fastest-growing sport in the U.S., so we wanted to see what it was all about. It was hard to follow. It was so fast. But we caught on really quick.”

After watching the perennial NCAA powerhouse, Steiner attended a camp at Montini and the rest, as they say, was history. Steiner is now a key contributor for the Broncos in the midfield.

“As a midfielder, you run the whole length of the field,” Steiner said. “Coach keeps us in good shape. We try and get the possession most of the time. That’s really important so you don’t have to keep running back and forth. If you don’t make stupid mistakes, you don’t have to run 50 yards and sprint back on defense.”

A strong run last season into the state semifinals has the Broncos hungry for even more success in 2011.

“We learned a lot from last year,” said Steiner. “We have a lot of confidence in our players. We have an even better attitude this year. We know what we can do now. We know what we are capable of. We work well together. We have a lot of momentum from last year. We want to go even farther this year.”

Look what happened:St. Charles co-op senior defender Emily Thornton grew up with a background in basketball.#147;When I started playing lacrosse the offensive and defensive setups are similar to basketball and soccer,#148; she said. #147;When I played lacrosse, it came naturally to me.#148;Thornton, a three-year varsity player, has established herself as a defensive force on the lacrosse field.#147;In order to play good defense you always have to be on your toes,#148; she said. #147;You always have to be aware of where the ball is in relation to the goal and you have to keep the communication up with the defenders and goalies and watch for any cutters. It can definitely get pretty chaotic back there. There is a lot of talking whether it#146;s the other team#146;s attack or our team talking.#148;Thornton, who said one of her desires is to score a goal this season, is planning on studying broadcast journalism in college. She mentioned the University of Illinois as a likely college destination, but said lacrosse is probably no longer in the cards after high school.#147;They have a club team, but I#146;m not sure I#146;m going to play,#148; she said. #147;I am more concerned with my education. It#146;s a little higher than playing lacrosse in college at this point. I#146;m committed to my schoolwork. I would love to be a reporter and travel and then eventually become an anchor. I would really like to be a sports broadcaster.#148;But first Thornton, a St. Charles North student, and her St. Charles teammates have some work to finish this spring.#147;This year we definitely have the opportunity to go farther than the club has ever gone,#148; she said. #147;We would really like to get to state this year.#148;That#146;s a draw:Benet Academy junior Taylor Valentine is tasked with winning the draw.#147;It#146;s kind of nerve-racking,#148; she admitted. #147;Sometimes there is pressure, but I like to be in control and determine the outcome of something. I#146;m decent at it, but there are a lot of things I can improve on.#148;Valentine has come a long way since her freshman year.#147;Freshman year, catching and passing were my weakest points,#148; she said. #147;Coach (Kendall) Vail has taught us to keep our eye on the ball and has taught us good passing skills. Coach Vail is great. She pushes us to do our best. She#146;s very motivational. You want to go out there and do well and make her happy. She#146;s such a great person. You want to work hard for her.#148;Valentine started playing the sport her freshman year. #147;It was either this or soccer. I wanted to try something new,#148; she said. #147;Lacrosse keeps you in shape. I play basketball as well. It was something to keep me in shape for that. When I started playing lacrosse, I fell in love with it.#148;Sisterly advice:Lake Zurich junior attack-midfield Emily Handrahan didn#146;t have to go very far to learn the sport.#147;I#146;ve been playing since the end of seventh grade,#148; she said. #147;My sister (Mary) played at Lake Zurich. When she got a stick I wanted to get a stick and play. She got me started. She plays at Carthage College. She taught me pretty much everything except defense.#148; Fremd update: Despite starting the season 0-3, Fremd coach Jake Hughes has seen his team move forward on the field.#147;The energy the girls bring is definitely a strength,#148; he said. #147;Despite a bumpy start, the girls are very eager to learn and get better each week of practice. Any coach has to be happy with that.#148;Patty Miller was leading the Vikings with 3 goals in the team#146;s first 3 games. Colleen Cox, Jenny Doherty and goalie Sam Schroll have provided strong senior leadership.#147;Those are three of only a handful of seniors on a predominantly sophomore team,#148; Hughes said. #147;They have been a huge help with the young team in practices and games.#148;Hughes has noticed an increase in field awareness from his players.#147;They are getting better with knowing their assignments on the field and playing their positions well,#148; he noted. #147;It#146;s the basic skills we have to continue to improve upon in order to compete at the next level.#148;Play of the day contender: Barrington coach Suzanne Rich witnessed a highlight reel moment when Maryann Thompson scored an #147;incredible#148; quick-stick goal in the Fillies#146; recent game against Oak Park-River Forest.Barrington split its first two games of the season, losing to OPRF and scoring a 12-7 conference win over Schaumburg.Junior midfielder Christa Madden had 6 goals and a pair of assists in the early going, while senior attack Alicia Kholamian had 4 goals, while junior attack Sarah Hovde had 3 goals and 6 assists.Rich also has been impressed with the play of senior MacKenzie Pike, who was leading the team in ground balls with 16 after finishing second in the state in that category a year ago. Team versatility has been a plus as well.#147;Most of the starters are able to play anywhere on the field and can adjust to a different position when needed,#148; Rich stated.Adjusting to different game situations is something Rich is stressing to her team.#147;We are learning as a team where we need to make adjustments on the field,#148; she said. #147;We are focusing on improving our ability to win ground balls and win the draws. Our offense has been improving its ability to shoot and the defense is working on double-teaming and keeping the opponent out of scoring position.#148; Shutting the door: Vernon Hills goalie Kori Coteleer likes the pressure situations. Coteleer, a senior, has been a standout when it comes to stopping free position shots. In the Cougars#146; first two games, Coteleer stopped 10 of 12 possible free position shots.#147;In girls lacrosse, the shot you want as an offensive player is this shot,#148; Vernon Hills coach Bob Thompson said. #147;She seems to rise to the occasion when she faces an opponent 1-on-1.#148;Thompson also lauded the play of both Nikki Nathanson and captain Sarah Lehman.#147;Sarah started taking draws for the first time (in a game last week against Lake Zurich) and from the start she won the first four, sending them directly to her teammates,#148; the coach said. #147;She is a leader at young age with action and positive encouragement.#148;Nathanson is battling back from injury.#147;Nikki has come back with a vengeance,#148; Thompson stated. #147;Playing midfield, she plays defense and needs to run the length of the field to play offense. She is a tough defender, not yielding ground to any opponent no matter their size.#148;Christie Currie had 6 goals and Jihee Choi had 3 goals in the team#146;s first two contests. Second-half defense also has been a strong suit. Vernon Hills allowed a combined 6 goals in the second halves of its first two games.#147;In the second half they play tougher,#148; Thompson said. #147;They have grown strong on defense.#148;Senior captain Jessie Westman and Jaylin Lee are the two returning players on defense.#147;They have proven very tough on defense,#148; Thompson said.Libertyville update: Libertyville started strong out of the gates, going to a 9-9 snow-shortened tied with Glenbrook South and then downing Warren 14-6.Senior midfielders Hope Nishimoto (8 goals) and Meghann Stelzner (6 goals) had a combined 14 goals between them in those two games. Coach Dana Brady points to defense as another factor in the team#146;s strong play.#147;Our defense is solid,#148; she said. #147;We are great at sliding to double up on an attacker trying to penetrate our 8-meter for a shot on goal. Our offense continues to work on settling the ball on our offensive end and being patient for a perfect scoring opportunity.#148;Junior defenders Lauren Pacholski and Mary Kate Lee have played well on defense, as has three-year varsity player Katie Piazzi.#147;Having them along with Katie in the back together brings great comfort both to the coaches and their teammates knowing the 8-meter is being protected by the best defenders around,#148; Brady said.Workin#146; for a livin: Waubonsie Valley-Metea Valley midfielder Amanda Levin has been a nonstop presence for the Tribe thus far. #147;Typically, a team#146;s leader in minutes played are the goalies,#148; coach Mike Wegrzyn said. #147;Amanda has been a workhorse n the midfield. She has played in all but 5 minutes of play (through the team#146;s first 8 games), going end-to-end without tiring.#148;Waubonsie-Metea was 1-7 overall through its first 8 games.#147;In many games the lopsided score does not reflect the effort put forth by the girls,#148; Wegrzyn said. #147;The girls have a never-quit attitude. No matter what the score is, these girls are working hard.#148;Junior Kim Rowell had 13 goals in the team#146;s first 8 games. Junior midfielder Emily Haynes had 4 goals. Rowell, Levin, Olivia Javornick and Haynes give the first-year varsity program a strong presence in the middle. #147;They pressure the ball well in transition causing turnovers and are aggressive off the draw, helping us to maintain possession,#148; Wegrzyn said. #147;Since the beginning of the season, our team has improved vastly in our transition game. Our defenders have improved getting the ball to our midfielders, who have really improved their throwing and catching. With game experience, our attack has become more patient, creating more scoring opportunities.#148;Rowell also had a team-leading 18 ground ball controls through the first 8 games. Levin had 12 draw controls (team-best). Javornick helped create 9 turnovers in 8 games and added 14 ground balls and 5 draw controls.Benet Academy update: Benet started the 2011 campaign strong with a 3-1-2 mark through its first 6 contests. Senior Maggie McKinney and the junior contingent of Taylor Valentine, Nikki Valentine, Morgan Birck and Maya McKeown have been contributors on offense, while Emily Stent and Colleen Toner have excelled on defense. Seniors Bridget Conniff and Daiva Siliunus have anchored the midfield. Senior Caitlin Kennedy and junior Audra Siliunus have been playmakers on the attack.#147;Our team works well on transitions, trusting their teammates. We have tenacious and aggressive competitors,#148; Vail stated. #147;We have several strong attackers so an opponent cannot single out any one girl to try and shutout. Our defense is fast and solid, but they also run the ball in on attack and are more than capable of scoring.#148;Moving on up: Schaumburg coach Drew Lazzara noted when the varsity program started two years ago the team went winless. The win total doubled to one in 2010#8212;the triumph coming at the end of the year.A year later and the Saxons already had 2 wins in their first 4 games and sported a 2-1 conference mark.#147;It#146;s a great start for us,#148; said Lazzara, whose team notched a 9-2 win over Fremd recently.Senior captain Myia Kerr had 6 goals and 2 assists in the first 4 games. Sophomore attack Megan Huber had 5 goals and 2 assists, while junior captain Stephanie Montiel (attack) had 4 goals.#147;We#146;re getting better with every game we play,#148; said Lazzara. #147;We#146;re playing more as a team.#148;Lazzara also applauded the team#146;s defense and the play of goalie Samantha Kossack who was fourth in the state in save percentage through late last week.Goals for everybody: Lake Zurich won its first three games with a margin of victory of at least 10 goals in each contest.#147;We have a very strong attack,#148; Lake Zurich coach Julie Bryniczka said. #147;Our players do a very nice job of moving the ball around and their accuracy on shots on goal is very high.#148;Senior Kristy Peterson and juniors Handrahan, Jessica Kittle and Katherine Anderson are averaging in the 3-4 goal-a-game neighborhood. Peterson had 6 goals in a recent win over Vernon Hills, while Handrahan had 5 goals.#147;The girls have really come together,#148; she said. #147;We have a lot of fun, which is important.#148;The team participated in a ropes course at Forest View in Arlington Heights.#147;That was a good team bonding experience,#148; Bryniczka said. #147;They make me laugh every day.#148;While the Bears are scoring goals by the truckload, they also have a stalwart in the backfield in defensive wing Maddie Carrigan.#147;Maddie is everywhere,#148; Bryniczka stated. #147;She#146;s one of the strongest defenders. She controls the ball so well.#148;