Despite losing key seniors from the past season, the women’s lacrosse team has bounced back, and they kicked off the season with an overall record of 11-1, according to  midfielder and senior captain, Ellie Haramaras.

“Losing [the seniors] was a hard thing to adjust to, but we [have] Noreen Anderson and Emily Sonneborn that were injured and a good group of underclassmen,” Haramaras said.

The girls’ first game was against GBN and according to Haramaras, the outcome of 14-8 wasn’t a surprise.

“It’s fun to play them since they’re our rival,” Haramaras said. “We don’t consider them that good […] but the game was closer than we wanted it to be.”

Despite the small disappointment in the score of the GBN game, the team struggled even more to accept their loss against Hinsdale Central with an end score of 5-12, according to attacker and senior captain Jane Brennan.

“We hadn’t had a tough competitor before that, so it was an awakening,” Brennan said. “A big part of [that] game was we beat ourselves; Hinsdale didn’t beat us.  It was mistakes made on our part; we were jittery because there is a lot of pressure riding on playing teams that went to state last year.”

Shortly after the Hinsdale Central defeat, the girls flew to California to play against new competition. The results of the trip were heightened team chemistry and boosted confidence, according to head coach Annie Lesch.

“I couldn’t ask for it to [have gone] better,” Lesch said. “We [went] 4-0 on the trip, and every game that they won, they did better the next game.”

The opening game was against Poway with a score of 10-7. Following that was Cathedral Catholic, which ended with a score of 13-9 and was one of the most challenging matches for the team.

“[The Cathedral Catholic] game was hard,” Sonneborn said. “[Yet] we made a few mistakes. We started to get a feel for […] what we can do, and we pulled it out. We played one of our best games in California.”

While the Cathedral Catholic game was an enormous success for the team, according to Brennan, the Denver East match’s proximity in points demonstrates the team’s ability to step up their play in high pressure matches. The end score was 13-11.

“A lot of the time teams flake under pressure, but […] we were improving. We walked off the field, looked at each other, and said, ‘This is why we love lacrosse.’” Brennan said.

Along with the Denver East game demonstrating the team’s ability, it was filled with memorable plays, according to Brennan.

“We held our stall for four minutes and twenty-five seconds [against Denver East], which is unbelievable considering the high pressure that was occurring,” Brennan said.

The Denver East game also was the biggest upset for the team so far this season, according to senior captain Autumn Koh.

“Denver East was ranked 26 in the nation and we were ranked in the 140’s […] and we beat them by two, so that was exciting,” Koh said.

The team concluded the trip with a win against Canyon Crest Academy, which ended with a score of 17-7, according to Brennan.

“From the previous three games we played, we had improved so much that we walked on that field and were ready to win,” Brennan said. “It wasn’t one person that scored those goals. It was everyone […] which shows the layers of our team.”

Coming back from the trip, the girls won against Barrington and the numerous matches the team had prior played in their benefit, according to Lesch.

“Barrington had only played one game so far and we had played […] six games,” Lesch said. “You could see the difference. We just came out on fire and before you knew it we were 7-0.”

Since then, the girls have accumulated wins against Deerfield, Montini Catholic, and Maine South. However, Lesch and the girls are most looking forward to their New Trier match on April 30.

“Last year we played New Trier in the final four and lost by one; that was the last time we’ve seen them,” Lesch said. “That’s what the girls have their eyes on.”