Girls lacrosse: Scouting Northwest
BarringtonCoach: Charles Solomon (2nd season at Barrington, 16th overall)
Top returning players: Ally Ahern (Sr., A), Sedona Falco (Jr., M), Maddie Lunn (Jr. M), Rocky Hoffmann (Sr. D), Tess Conforti (Sr. D), Maddie Leers (Sr. G)
Outlook: It's bright picture for the Fillies, who bring back many of the key pieces from last year's team and have numerous promising new athletes in place alongside them. Expect Barrington to be especiall stingy in goals allowed, which was certainly the case in a 20-4 victory over Warren on Wednesday to start the season. "We are very excited, as we return most of our defense as well as add some strong young key players at all positions but especially on the attack end," said coach Charles Solomon. "That makes us a stronger team than last season and should set us up nicely for a great season." Falco was a force in that contest against Warren, generating 5 goals and 3 assists. Among the key upcoming dates for Barrington: April 12 at home against Conant, April 26 at Palatine, May 3 at Schaumburg and May 10 at home against Hoffman Estates.
ConantCoach: Eric Jacobsen (eighth year)
Key players: Cassandra Jones (Sr., M), Lex Alcantara (Sr., GK), Dana Kim (Sr., D), Amanda Klingsporn (Sr., M)
Outlook: The Cougars are coming of a very nice season which included a 14-7 overall record and 4-1 conference mark. Much of the offense generated in that season has moved on, however, as Conant's top four scorers from last spring aren't in this year's lineup. The good news for Cougars fans is that there are other areas of established strength. "We have a lot of experience at defense and midfield returning, but need to get on the board, scoring," said coach Eric Jacobsen. "Our seniors will be the strength to leading our underclassmen in moving our program in the direction of competing for a conference title." Jacobsen and his crew are looking forward to Saturday, April 21, for the CougarHawk Classic (co-hosted by Hoffman Estates) with Taft, Whitney Young, Huntley, Minooka, Wheaton United and U46 in a three-game, daylong battle. So far this season, Conant has suffered setbacks against Hinsdale Central and Downers Grove North but powered past Resurrection 13-0.
Hoffman EstatesCoach: Eric Gdowski (2nd year)
Top returning players: Joanna Mulica (Sr. M), Kate Mongold (Jr. M), Lily Nelson (Sr. G), Peyton Bergner (Sr. A), Tawoos Rabbani (Sr. A), Sarah Borge (Sr. D), Angela Zhou (Jr. D/M)
Promising newcomers: Chiara Hurd (Soph. M), Jocelyn Lawrence (Jr. A/M), Dayanara Gutierrez (Sr. A), Kynni Conley (Soph. D/M), Charlee Campos (Soph. D/M)
Outlook: Coach Gdowski is optimistic about a blend of returning starters and young talent and an off-season commitment that has the Hawks positioned for success. The experience quotient is lowest on defense, so that's where some growing pains may show up. But Hoffman Estates features all-conference goalie Lily Nelson as the last line of defense, and Gdowski is confident his group will grow and progress throughout the season. "We look forward to the challenges ahead of us and know if we stick to our program's core values, we can accomplish big things," Gdowski said. The Hawks are looking forward to the annual CougarHawk Classic, an eight-team tournament co-hosted by Hoffman Estates and Conant, on Saturday, April 21.
PalatineCoach: Leslie Schock
Top returning players: Kendra Lindell (Sr., midfielder), Izzy Ramirez (Sr., defense), Lauren Kim (Sr., midfielder), Anja Smith (Sr., midfielder).
Team outlook: Coach Leslie Schock is hoping it can be a bounce-back season for the Pirates, who struggled last season and felt the sting of four overtime losses. One key returner is Lindell, who recently helped Palatine's girls basketball team to the Mid-Suburban West title. She'll be both a top scoring threat and a tough defender. Schock specifies two sophomores, Abbie Schmidt and Gia Gratzianna, as viable scoring threats, and says an area of concern is maintaing possession and getting into position to score. "Our struggle will be in transition - cleanly moving the ball up the field," Schock said. Still, the goal is to return to a higher level of achievement by season's end. "We play Conant the last game of the season," said Schock, "and will hopefully be playing for a conference championship."
SchaumburgCoach: Jake Hughes (fourth year)
Top teturning players: Michelle Gibbons (Jr. M), Emily Nakano (Sr. G), Nele Radons (Sr. D), Zuza Synowiec (Sr. M), Audrey Warner (Jr. M), Alexis Wilder (Sr. D)
Outlook: Coach Hughes is reporting many changes at the varsity level and a dependence on newcomers to get the job done. The exception will be on defense, where four-year starter Alexis Wilder leads the effort. Three-year starting midfielder Zuza Synowiec will take care of the bulk of the draw and will set the tone offensively with junior midfield mates Michelle Gibbons and Audrey Warner. More experience comes in goal, where Emily Nakano, an all-conference pick last season and a three-year starter, gives Schaumburg an edge. "Her vocal leadership on the field will be vital for our team's success this year," said Hughes. "Overall, I believe that we will have a more balanced attack than we have had in years past, with multiple girls being threats to score. I am excited to see how this team improves throughout the year and how we will stack up against the always-improving MSL West opponents."
St. ViatorCoach: Suzanne Rich
Top returning players:
Outlook: Coming off a 17-2 season, Lions coach Rich is eager to see how a very promising season can turn out at St. Viator. "We had a nice run into the postseason last year, and with the players we have back, there's every reason to think we can be even stronger this year," Rich said. "Everybody's really excited about what we might able to accomplish." The Lions will try to take full advantage of a schedule which does not include a game until April 5, when St. Viator will host Conant at Forest View.