The girls’ lacrosse team has built a long-standing reputation as a competitive program in Maryland’s 3A/2A/1A division. Over the years, the Patriots have consistently developed into a team capable of competing in the Montgomery County postseason and facing some of the strongest programs in the region.
From the late 2000s through the 2010s, the program experienced one of its strongest eras under head coach Anne Marie Ritzell. During this period, the team posted several successful seasons, including years such as 2007–08 (15–1), 2012–13 (13–2), and 2015–16 (9–4). The team regularly earned strong regional positioning and remained a consistent playoff contender.
In more recent years, the program has continued under head coach Shannon Davis. The 2023–24 season marked a strong return to form with an 11–4 record and recognition in regional rankings, while the 2025–26 season has opened with a 3–1 start. Across the early 2020s, the team has navigated transitions in performance and coaching while maintaining its presence in MCPS competition. After all this, it is still underappreciated by students and fans.
Freshman Seneca Hodahkwen said that he can’t attend the games because all the spring sports games are on the same day, leaving no time for other activities. Hodahkwen said, “I don’t think either the boys’ team or girls’ team gets enough support from students. I do think it is because spring sports aren’t really of interest compared to the fall or winter sports like basketball or football, but also because the second semester tends to bring some academic challenges so they focus on schoolwork instead [of checking out the lacrosse games].”
When it comes to getting students to attend, the girls’ lacrosse team puts out an Instagram post. However, that’s usually not enough. Freshman Dihlain Jain said running more promotions or different types of activities related to girls’ lacrosse will help him want to show up. Jain said, “If more of my friends went to the games, I would be down to go.”
Getting recruits to play lacrosse is also crucial for a good lacrosse team because the more qualified players, the better. Freshman Aviana Gupta said she is interested in joining, saying the team has a great community. Gupta said, “I would consider joining the team because I have friends on the team and I see that they have an amazing team community. But for now, I would support the team in the future by going to games and cheering everyone on.”
Additionally, the argument about which is better, girls’ lacrosse or boys’ lacrosse, isn’t fair because there almost different sports, as Hodahkwen said, “There are differences in the sport, but I’d say the biggest one would be the equipment being used because in the men’s game they use hockey-like pads and gloves with a helmet, while the girls use goggles with a metal caging that only protects their eyes.”
Differences in equipment lead to different rules, as boys are more physical because of their pads. Despite the differences, Gupta said, “I feel like both girls and boys receive equal support and get equal attention, but it more depends on the specific sport.”
The girls’ lacrosse team is currently 3-2 with eight more games to go. Standout seniors Emory Scofield and Maya Bellamy are scoring a lot of goals, with Scofield the team’s leading scorer and Bellamy assisting on most of those goals. In the most recent game, the team fell to Whitman 17-9, although they look to get back on track against BCC on April 15.
