The 1-1 JV lacrosse season started off with scrimmages against Magruder on Mar. 9 and Wheaton on Mar. 14. The team is led by coach Alexa Young, along with captains Kailey Waxman, Addie Purvis and Skylar Cohen.

Tryouts for the girls’ lacrosse teams began on Mar. 1 and lasted through Mar. 6, led by Young, as well as varsity coach Amanda Maggio. Tryouts consisted of drills to showcase athletic abilities, game knowledge and stick skills, where girls could prove their skills in passing, running, 3 v. 2 drills and other competitions.

During this past winter, Young volunteered to coach after the former coach stepped down in May. After playing for her whole life, Young was excited to take this opportunity to coach. “It’s going pretty good, all the girls are really nice and we’re adjusting to a new team pretty well,” Young said.

With no goalie to begin the season, freshman Aava Nikakhtar decided to step up to the position after her friends convinced her to do so. “I really wished that I did lacrosse because all of my friends were on it and they said they needed a goalie so I decided to be the goalie,” Nikakhtar said.

The season officially started on Mar. 21 against Clarksburg at home. The Patriots won swiftly with a final score of 10-0. Sophomore Isa Davis-Astrada scored one goal, and freshman Sami Karcz, Purvis and Cohen scored two goals each. Sophomore Josie Spicer scored three goals and was awarded player of the game.

The Patriots fell to Whitman on Mar. 24 in a hard-fought 8-3 loss. Freshman Danielle Rubin, Karcz and Spicer each scored one goal. Though not scoring any goals, Cohen had two shots on goal as well as a ground ball.

As far as improvements go, Young said that the team will work on basic stick skills and working as an entire unit, rather than just as individual players. This is important for the team, as there are players who have never played lacrosse before this season.

To further unite as a team, the players participate in bonding activities. “ [We do] team breakfasts, team dinners, we plan the spirit days, we have group chats that we text in a lot to stay in contact and hang out after and before practice,” Cohen said.

After missed calls by the referees, the team fell to Walter Johnson with a final score of 9-5. However, they managed to come back against Richard Montgomery on Mar. 31st, ending with a win of 11-9.

The next upcoming game is on  Apr. 12 at 5:30 p.m. at home.