Scouting DuPage County girls lacrosse
Top local teams: Neuqua Valley, Naperville North, Hinsdale Central, York, Wheaton United.
Top players: Zoey Laipple (Neuqua Valley, so., A), Brenda Anderson (Neuqua Valley, sr., MF), Lena Baldacci (Naperville Central, sr., A), Alexie Romanelli (Naperville Central, so., A), Andersen Lewellyan (Wheaton United, sr., A), Campbell Clynch (Wheaton United, sr., A), Caroline Fritsch (York, sr., G), Cate Duhig (York, jr., MF), Ysa Pakowski (Downers Grove North, fr., MF), Caroline Covey (Benet, jr., MF), Josephine Napolski (Benet, sr., MF), Audrey Johnson (Naperville North, sr., A), Rachel Goff (Naperville North, sr., MF), Johanna Kingsfield (Montini, sr., MF), Julia Marciniak (Montini, jr., MF), Tessa Erickson (Glenbard West, sr., MF), Sophia Kalivas (Glenbard West, jr., MF), Ellie Gosselin (Metea Valley/Waubonsie Valley, jr., D), Audra Thompson (Metea Valley/Waubonsie Valley, so., A).
Scouting report: Naperville North and Hinsdale Central were proof that West Suburban girls lacrosse has at least equaled its north shore counterparts. The Huskies took fourth in state in 2018, while Hinsdale Central surprised powers Loyola and New Trier to win the inaugural IHSA state title. Both figure to be just as tough in 2019. The Huskies, led by Jessica Hogan, lose instant playmaker Lauren Platou to graduation, along with her twin sister Anna (playing at Cincinnati) and Cristin Culbertson (Adrian College, Michigan). But the Huskies should have just as much firepower with senior attacker Audrey Johnson, a captain who also does the draw. She'll get help from sophomore attacker Bella Caputo, junior Bella Taylor, sophomore midfielder Kate Burritt and the super-speedy senior midfielder Rachel Goff. Another two names to remember: Freshmen Ella Marschitz (midfield) and Annaliese Hanson (attack), whom Hogan has been watching since they were in fifth grade. The defense will be headed up by a pair of seniors, defender Gabby McBane and goalie Caitie Sciabica, a captain. Due to the departure of several schools for the new DuKane Conference, Naperville North and its DuPage Valley Conference counterparts will play each other twice, at home and on the road. "I have experience and stickwork and if we do that again, we'll make it to the state series," Hogan said.
Neuqua Valley was dealt a blow when senior attack Peyton Metry tore her ACL in a tournament in November. She will not play this season. Metry was one of the state's top scorers a year ago and was expected to do big things due to the graduation of 2018's lead attacker and captain Mary Fae Keen. The solution could be sophomore attack Zoey Laipple, to be mentored by Metry, who will remain with the team as a de facto coach. Coach John Scanlon said his team's midfield will be solid thanks to the return of four players who are collegiate commits - seniors Brenda Anderson (U.S. Coast Guard Academy) and Christine Corbin (Rockhurst University), and juniors Lauren Reitzel (Grand Valley State) and Josie Szmanda (Quincy University). Senior Stephanie Eichamer is a first-year starter in goal. "I think technically and skill-wise, we're a lot stronger in the midfield, and I think this year you're going to see a more cohesive play from us," Scanlon said. "We're kind of changing our strategy as far as substitutions, we'll do more on-the-fly substituting."
Coach Kevin Kloss learned a lot in his first year as Naperville Central coach, a campaign that saw the Redhawks go 3-15. "I think I learned that we're a young program," he said. "We have a lot of talent on our lower levels, and we'll be getting those girls to take on a more leadership role and buy-in to the program. I am excited to see who steps up." Returning for Naperville Central will be senior Lena Baldacci, a senior attack who led the team with 32 goals, and she has plenty of help from junior attackers Chloe O'Connor and Olivia Thompson and attack-middies Elle Friess and Anna Gallo. That will take the sting out of the graduation loss of Berit Vanderbroucke. Help in the midfield will come from sophomore Alexie Romanelli, who started as a freshman. Leading the defense will be senior defender Sarah Conroy, who said she has seen good things from the younger players so far. "A lot the girls joined club teams and I saw a lot of them improving their skills," she said. "I'm excited how they are getting more involved outside the school season and I think that will help us improve overall."
The biggest loss to graduation for the Metea Valley/Waubonsie Valley co-op team was Raegan Woolwine and her 70 goals. She's now playing at St. Francis (Pa.). But was it as big a loss as one might think? According to coach Sean Storin, perhaps not. The team has a bevy of scorers who should foot the bill nicely, including senior twins Ragan (attack) and Whitney Kueltzo (midfielder) along with the coach's daughter, Raegan Storin. Another two key attackers will be sophomores Audra Thompson and Jenna Urban. "We have the capacity to move the ball around, to six, seven or eight girls who can score," Storin said. "Now they can't faceguard anyone, because there are so many scoring threats. We should be a much better team than even last year." That's a tall order considering Metea/Waubonsie went 11-5 overall and 2-2 in 2018. Junior Ellie Gosselin, a team captain, will head up the defense and should complement the offensive firepower well. They'll need every bit of it with a schedule that includes all DVC opponents twice, along with St. Charles and Lincoln-Way.
Losing 15 seniors to graduation was one thing for Wheaton United, the Wheaton Warrenville South/Wheaton North co-op team. But the other was losing a conference affiliation after those schools left the DVC for the DuKane Conference, which doesn't have a lacrosse league. Still, Wheaton United will have a tough schedule, including St. Charles, Geneva, Lyons, Barrington and locals Benet, Neuqua Valley and Naperville Central. The team will once again be led by senior attacks Andersen Lewellyan and Campbell Clynch. Scoring should also come from sophomore midfielder Tate Stokesberry, whom coach Paul Ciufo said is "a phenomenal player. Last year she kind of laid back a little on the scoring front, but this year I think that will change." Senior defenders Chloe Marks and Sam Melody will anchor the defense, and sophomore goalie Kyra Nolan, last year's starter, will also return. "This year, we only have seven returning varsity players," Lewellyan said. "We lost 16 varsity seniors, but we have a lot of great athletes that we plan on turning into great lacrosse players."
The West Suburban Silver will be absolutely loaded once again, leading off with Hinsdale Central, the 2018 state champion. What do the Red Devils do for an encore after going 19-5 and 5-0 in league? "For us it's about staying hungry and working as hard as we can every day so when we get to the end of May we're ready for the tournament," coach Dan Hartman said. Hinsdale Central will have to overcome the graduation of Maria Mulvihill (attack) and Shea Draddy (midfield). But there seems to be no shortage of offensive firepower for this team, starting with seniors Kristiana Strak and Sydney Collignon (midfield) and Ella Farrell (attack). Jessica Joy, a junior attack, made a name for herself by scoring 6 goals in the state series a year ago. Sophomore attack Avery Secola has the speed and athleticism to replace the graduated Lally Johnson. Hartman said that in addition to returning to state, the team is looking to break into the top 25 in the nation, according to U.S. Lacrosse. The Red Devils were ranked third in the Midwest a year ago but didn't break into the top 25.
York went 14-6 overall and 4-1 in the WSC Silver, losing only to Hinsdale Central. Not bad for a team that started 0-5. In 2019 the Dukes will work to replace five all-conference players who graduated. They'll do that with three sophomores who started as freshmen - midfielders Emily Fleckenstein and Ellie Bernard, and attack Jenna Hughes, who will join junior midfielder Cate Duhig as scoring punch. Last year's goalie, Isabel Torres, is playing at New Hampshire, but the team returns senior Caroline Fritsch, who is committed to Drexel, and junior Sammy Kraus, who is also being recruited by Division I schools. Once again, the opening part of the schedule will be really tough - the Dukes take on Loyola, Lyons, Hinsdale Central, Kentucky Country Day and Missouri's state champion. "I think we have been working a lot on working on our team in the off-season," Bernard said. "A lot of us get together for workouts and shoot outside. Last year we started off at a rough point and built up throughout the season. This year we want to start strong."
Last year was Taylor Sopron's first year as Downers Grove North's coach, and she lost 10 seniors to graduation from a team that went 7-9, including center midfielder Katie Kramnic and goalie Lina Zochowski. "Coming into this season, we're going to have a lot more speed and pick up the intensity a lot, now that I know the girls in the program, and knowing how to get the girls ready," Sopron said. Sopron, who coaches at Lakeshore Lacrosse, said the fact that her girls play for a host of clubs will benefit from a skill perspective. One of those incoming players, freshman midfielder Ysa Pakowski, plays for Sopron at Lakeshore, and has "got the whole lacrosse IQ." The sophomore- and junior-heavy team has made a lot of progress through weightlifting and intramural play in the off-season, Sopron said, which will benefit during the conference season. "Knowing one team from our conference has won a state title, it gives us confidence that we are as good as any other school," she said.
At Glenbard West, coach Laura Finfrock has the challenge of replacing 11 graduating players and a few others who did not go out for personal reasons. "We're kind of a new-face team," she said. "We have seven varsity returners this year. I think it's going to give us new opportunities on the field." The biggest graduation loss was attacker Frankie Campo, one of the team's top scorers a year ago. Stepping into her scoring role will be a pair of midfielders, senior Tessa Erickson and junior Sophia Kalivas. Another who could help is junior Piper Billingsley. "She's got quick hands, she's really good under pressure in the middle of the A and she's got a quick shot," Finfrock said of Billingsley. The defense will be led by junior netminder Maddie Greenleaf, who entered the sport with little experience as a freshman and has elevated herself to the starting role in just two years. Finfrock agrees with Sopron that the conference provides a lot of good challenges for her crew. "We're in a very tough conference, especially with those top teams like Hinsdale, York and Lyons," she said. "They will be tough competition, so from Day One we're going to be practicing for those games."
Ja Dae McGuire takes over as coach at Benet, and he'll have to deal with the graduation loss of Anna Schuster, one of the team's top offensive players a year ago. He'll do that with junior midfielder Caroline Covey and senior midfielder Josephine Napolski, along with sophomore attacker Karly Keating. "We'll have that nucleus, that scoring attack back," McGuire said. "Now that we don't have that dominant player, we're going to have that ball movement and attacking the angles, and getting our athletes involved with moving the ball." Goalie Audrey Moran is also returning, making her the anchor on defense and a team later - she led the team's offseason training. "We're super excited to have a new coach," Covey said. "This season will be about teamwork. We lost a bunch of seniors, but we're excited about the upcoming sophomores and freshmen." An X-factor: McGuire coached Benet's JV team a year ago, which only lost three games. That should help the team navigate the challenging East Suburban Catholic Conference.
The new coaches at Montini should be familiar faces. Coach Fran Meyer and assistant Angie Gasbarre are 2013 graduates and have plenty of talent to work with in their first season. Most notable is senior Northwestern recruit Johanna Kingsfield, one of DuPage County's biggest offensive threats a year ago. Kingsfield has continued her role as a team leader, Meyer said. "She helped out during tryouts, helping girls and catch and throws," she said. "So far I've noticed her character is what makes her an impactful person." Another offensive threat will be junior midfielder Julia Marciniak, a multisport athlete who is super fast. Two players who flew under the radar last year but are poised for big things in 2019 are a pair of juniors - midfielder Enya O'Flaherty and attack Shannon Williams. Another collegiate recruit on Montini's squad this season is senior goalie Audrey Maloney, who's committed to Grand Valley State, and should once again be the vocal leader on defense. Schedule-wise, the good news is that due to a glitch, the Broncos don't have to face state and GCAC power Loyola. The bad news is that they will have to take on 2018 state champion Hinsdale Central.
- Gregg Voss