Scouting DuPage County girls lacrosse
Top local teams: Naperville North, Neuqua Valley, Benet Academy, Hinsdale Central, Montini, Wheaton United, York.
Top players: Peyton Metry (Neuqua Valley, jr., A), Caroline Perkins (Neuqua Valley, so., A), Anna Platou (Naperville North, sr., MF), Lauren Platou (Naperville North, sr., MF), Caitlin Sciabica (Naperville North, jr., G), Berit Vanderbroucke (Naperville Central, sr., A), Josie Kinder (Naperville Central, sr., D), Raegan Woolwine (Metea/Waubonsie Valley co-op, sr., MF), Abby Widd (Metea/Waubonsie Valley co-op, sr., G), Ava Rucoba (Wheaton United, sr., A), Annabelle Nelson (Wheaton United, sr., MF), Frankie Campo (Glenbard West, sr., A), Nicole Lekatsos (Glenbard West, sr., MF), Emily Siegenthaler (York, sr., MF), Elizabeth Grubbs (York, sr., A), Maria Mulvihill (Hinsdale Central, sr. attack), Shea Draddy (Hinsdale Central, sr., midfield), Johanna Kingsfield (Montini, jr. MF), Luma Medina (Montini, sr., MF), Josephine Napolski (Benet, jr., MF), Anne Schuster (Benet, sr., MF), Elyse Monma (St. Francis, so., G), Beth Weizeorick (St. Francis, sr., MF).
Scouting report: The first year of girls lacrosse as an IHSA-sanctioned sport will showcase how far the talent pool has come in recent years in the western suburbs Case in point: Neuqua Valley, which went 17-4 overall last year and 4-2 in the DuPage Valley Conference. One of the things coach John Scanlon is looking for from his charges is belief that they can compete favorably with powers like Loyola and New Trier. "On the playing end just cultivating an elite mindset within the team," Scanlon said as an area of improvement for this season. "Sometimes we would come into games (last year) without an optimal mindset." Depth will be a huge advantage for the Wildcats, as Scanlon said the team is skill-heavy throughout the lineup, unlike other teams, where the skill level drops after the starting 10. True, Neuqua Valley will have to replace its top two scorers from a year ago, Mackenzie Turner and Keegan Sharko, but it will do that on the heels of junior attack Peyton Metry, who Scanlon said is the "quarterback of the offense; she has a high lacrosse IQ and she knows the best sets to run." Sophomore attack Caroline Perkins will help, and junior midfielder Brenda Anderson will handle draw control and will take on a bigger leadership role this season. As for the DVC, Scanlon said the champion is a pick'em proposition, between the Wildcats, Naperville North and the Metea Valley/Waubonsie Valley co-op team. The good news is that traditional power St. Charles has departed the conference.
The team that should give Neuqua Valley the most trouble might be Naperville North, coached by Jessica Hogan. Seemingly everything for the Huskies (14-5, 5-1 in the DVC last year) will start with the senior midfield Platou sisters - Anna and Lauren, both captains. Anna Platou was in the top three in state a year ago in goals, assists and points and has committed to Cincinnati.
However, Anna Platou will miss the first month of the season because of knee surgery. She should be back for the conference schedule. She was first-team all-state last year, and her sister was honorable mention. Also key to the offense will be senior Cristen Culbertson and junior Rachel Goff, hockey players who will find themselves at either midfield or attack this spring, and junior Audrey Johnson, who has improved plenty in the off-season and enters with a lot of confidence. Another area of strength will be defense, headed up by junior goalie Caitlin Sciabica, while junior defender Mary Tuskey was honorable mention all-state a year ago. That's a lot to look forward to, but Hogan is a little concerned about one thing. "My girls hate running a settled attack," she said, where the team spreads outside the 12-meter line, waiting for a pick-and-roll or a stack play. "We love chemistry and natural ball movement." Having three levels of play since 2015, along with athletic department support, where players pay $100 to play, substantially less than other schools, is a huge help. The Huskies had 75 girls try out this year.
First-year coach Kevin Kloss thinks his Naperville Central squad will be deeper than it was last year, with around 20 position players he can rotate in and out. Countering that, though, is the team's youth. "We do look like we're a little younger as a team," Kloss said. "We have five or six sophomores with us, and I'm hoping to get those girls a good amount of playing time." The attack will be led by senior Berit Vanderbroucke, who recently committed to North Central College. "I think the team is going to look up to her as we move forward through the season," Kloss said. "Her work ethic is second to none." Also figuring into the offensive mix will be junior attack Lena Baldacci, of whom Kloss said "will be one of our main goal scorers this year." Senior defender Josie Kinder will head up the defense but is likely to find herself all over the field. The one player you haven't heard about, but likely will by the end of the season, is sophomore goalie Rachel Carrier, who started a good amount a year ago as a freshman. "I'm excited to see how she plays out this year," Kloss said. "She played the entire year on varsity last year and got a good amount of starts in goal."
The Metea Valley/Waubonsie Valley co-op program lost just one player from last year's team - Janne Brown, an attacker now playing at Aurora University. That's good news for a team that went 7-10 overall last year. Perhaps the better news is that there are only four seniors, so there is a pipeline of solid younger players coming through the program. Heading up the senior group is Raegan Woolwine, who is committed to St. Francis (Pa.), is a captain and last year's leading scorer. Another impact senior should be goalie Abby Widd, committed to North Central College. Attackers Raegan Storin, coach Sean Storin's daughter, and junior Ragan Kueltzo both were top-five scorers for the Valleys a year ago. Caitlin Beacom, who started coming into her own at the end of last season, could be the player everyone is talking about by the end of the season. But perhaps the best news is that lacrosse is competing favorably with other sports for players, Sean Storin said. "Because it's a sanctioned sport, we're attracting alpha athletes," he said. "They used to go to soccer or volleyball. Now that we have greater visibility, highly skilled basketball players, soccer players and volleyball players are coming to lacrosse. It changes the dynamic of the game." As for the DVC, Naperville North and Neuqua Valley should be the teams to beat, he said.
Wheaton United, a co-op program consisting of Wheaton Warrenville South and Wheaton North, went 10-13 a year ago and 3-3 in the DVC but lost its top scorer, Greta Moore, who had 60 goals and 19 assists for 89 points. She was not only effective on the offensive end of the field but was the team's leader. That means both of those responsibilities will fall to three players - senior attacker Ava Rucoba, senior midfielder Annabelle Nelson and junior Andersen Lewellyan. But the most intriguing player might be a freshman, Tate Stokesberry, who coach Paul Ciufo said is "quick and she can play any position I need her to play." Defense will definitely be Wheaton United's strength. It will be headed up by senior defender Katrina Lisowski, who's committed to St. Ambrose, and another senior, Megan Dravet. "I have my whole defense back and they went from sophomores to juniors," Ciufo said. "This will be their second year together, so I'm expecting them playing together more, they'll just improve. The most important area for improvement will be the transition game, which Ciufo said was not where he wanted it last year, and he'll need it, with the likes of Neuqua Valley, Naperville North and Naperville Central expected to be the DVC contenders.
York's 2018 season took a hit last summer when senior midfielder Emily Siegenthaler tore her ACL at a camp at the University of Colorado - coincidentally, where 2017 star player Zoe Lawless is now playing. Siegenthaler logged 57 goals and 24 assists for 81 points, and, according to coach Ryan Walz, she ran the equivalent of 7 miles a game. "It's been quite a journey," Siegenthaler said. "I've been doing everything I could to come back. I see the doctor the week before spring break, so ideally, I hope to be cleared by then." In her stead the Dukes should have enough firepower to compete in the tough WSC Silver. Senior attack Elizabeth Grubbs is an "awesome playmaker," per Walz, while three freshmen - attack Emily Fleckenstein and midfielders Jenna Hughes and Ellie Bernard - should bring offensive stability and good playmaking. Defensively, York has not one but two collegiate Division I recruits at goalie, seniors Isabel Torres (New Hampshire) and Caroline Fritsch (Drexel). Senior defensive midfielder Liza Kraus will be a key cog as well. Numbers are up at York, so personnel won't be a problem. "We're just missing those go-to players we've had in the past," Walz said, adding that the big key for his charges will be "just learning the system that we run. Learning the groove, the rhythm, can take some time."
As a member of the West Suburban Silver, Glenbard West is in the same boat as York - facing strong competition night in and night out. The Hilltoppers lost attacker Annie Bishop and defender Cate Lombardi to graduation, but they have 13 returning varsity players, all of whom will be the key to the team's success this spring, according to coach Laura Finfrock. Heading up the returnees will be senior attacker Frankie Campo and senior midfielder Nicole Lekatsos, a speedster who is working on draw control, which will hopefully allow Glenbard West to control games from the outset. An intriguing returnee will be senior defender Sarah Speizman, who tore her ACL at the beginning of last season but is back and healthy. "She's going to bring power and agility the defense needs and will be a strong leader in our defensive alignment," Finfrock said. About 75 percent of her players play field hockey in the fall, so conditioning and athleticism shouldn't be a problem. The challenge could be the mental game - the Hilltoppers believing they can compete with Hinsdale Central, Lyons, Oak Park-River Forest and York. "I always think you have to play the competition that's going to push you," Finfrock said. "There is always something you can learn by playing a stronger team."
An informal poll of area coaches revealed a consensus: Look out for Hinsdale Central. The Red Devils have all but one of their 2017 starters back, including senior captains Maria Mulvihill (attack) and Shea Draddy (midfield). What's more, the Red Devils have their entire midfield back, which is more bad news for opponents. "Our strength is putting the ball in the back of the net," coach Dan Hartman said. "I think we will be an extremely balanced team. You won't be able to focus on one or two players. With all those options we should be tough to defend." Two sophomore midfielders who should make an immediate impact are Alaina Hamood, who missed most of last year due to injury, and Jenna Collignon. But like any team in any sport, there is room for improvement, "We'd like to improve at the defensive end and draw circle," Hartman said. Another big question: Can the Red Devils compete with New Trier and Loyola? They are 1-15 against them the last six years. "That's the next hurdle we have to cross," Hartman said.
Over at Montini the Broncos will join the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference after going 13-9 in an independent schedule in 2017. Their reward for joining the GCAC? A date with host Loyola on March 24. But coach Kaitlin Sheridan is undaunted after leading her team to the state tournament quarterfinals a year ago. The offense will begin with junior midfielder Johanna Kingsfield, last year's team player of the year who is committed to play at Northwestern. She had 77 goals and 34 assists for 111 points, and she added 151 ball controls and 21 caused turnovers en route to all-state honors. Offense will also be generated by senior midfielder Luma Medina, who is committed to play at Stetson University and had 35 goals and 12 assists last year, along with 62 draw controls and 19 caused turnovers. She was also all-state. Senior attackers Grayson Clynch and Anne Bowe also will help generate offense, along with sophomore lefty midfielder Julia Marciniak, of whom Sheridan said could be the one player who everyone is talking about by season's end. Defense will be the area of improvement, as the only returnees are senior defender Tania Yunez and junior goalie Audrey Maloney, who was an all-state player.
The East Suburban Catholic Conference title should be a battle between Benet and Carmel. The Redwings bring back plenty of experience for third-year coach Caitlin Delaney. Junior midfielder Josephine Napolski has played on varsity since she was a freshman and has been one of the state's top draw takers her first two years. She is a returning captain along with senior midfielder Anne Schuster. Of Schuster, Delaney said, "her nickname is 'Wheels' because she's the fastest one on the field." The offensive X-factor should be sophomore attacker Maya McKeague, who played on varsity last year and is developing her confidence on the field, which is probably bad news for opponents. "We have a very strong midfield and attack," Delaney said, "because we have a lot of returning players and they are some of our strongest players. Teamwork is one of our strengths; we have 13 returning varsity players." Defense will be an area of improvement, and that unit starts with sophomore goalie Audrey Moran, who took up the sport just a few years ago. Delaney said she's fearless, coming out of the goal more than anyone she has ever seen. But losing a host of defenders from last year won't make Moran's task easy.
Last year was a tough one for St. Francis, and as far as coach Natalie Nesbitt is concerned, last year (and the Spartans' record) are permanently erased from her memory. What she does want to dwell on is the 16-3 campaign two years ago and her team's ability to return to those lofty heights. "We're going to be a strong defensive team, capable of playing multiple defensive strategies," Nesbitt said. The defense will start with sophomore goalie Elyse Monma, who started in 2017 and logged an over 80 percent shots saved mark. Plus, Nesbitt said Monma is starting to take leadership over the defensive squad and owning the crease. Offensively, the Spartans will have to make up for the loss of leading scorer Zoe Marmitt, who graduated. Stepping into her role will be senior midfielder Beth Weizeorick, who flashes top-level speed and aggression, with solid stick skills and versatility on both the offensive and defensive sides. Senior attacker Chloe Vruno, a returning captain, will also be part of the scoring equation, along with junior midfielder Sabrina Eichenberger, a strong draw control player. The biggest challenge for the Spartans this season? Shifting from the DVC to the GCAC, where they will be paired in the West Division with Marist, Resurrection, St. Ignatius, Trinity and Regina Dominican. And oh by way, they have Naperville North, Naperville Central and Montini on the schedule.