John Carroll lacrosse on a major upswing
By Nelson Coffin
nelson@iaamsports.com
Regardless of the outcome of its final two games, John Carroll’s lacrosse team is making a concerted effort to be regarded as a legitimate contender for an A Conference title.
Even in defeat, the Patriots are proving their mettle, most notably in a 9-8 overtime setback to defending champion McDonogh last Sunday while holding the powerful Eagles well below their 13-goals-per-game average against the rest of the league.
JC fared even better on Wednesday by knocking off Notre Dame Prep, 16-10, to improve to 8-5 overall and 7-4 in conference play.
Considering that the Patriots only managed five A Conference wins last season, it’s fair to say that coach Laura Seifert and her staff are getting the most out of her players this spring.
“We’ve added key members to our staff,” Seifert said. “We’ve worked on our strengths and improved some of our weaknesses. We have a very talented bunch of athletes.”
She also noted that an emphasis on team culture has keyed JC’s resurgence, along with fundamental work on strength, conditioning and stick skills, the latter honed by sessions of “wall ball” three times per week.
“They’re always looking to put in the extra work,” Seifert added. “They do the work when nobody’s looking. That’s a testament to our kids.”
As good as a defense anchored by junior Makayla Casey and sophomore Izzy Dobrzykowski playing in front of senior goalie Julia Ward was against McDonogh, the offense really sparkled against NDP on Wednesday.
Senior midfielder Natalie Kelly (5 goals, 1 assist) and sophomore midfielder Pieper McCue (3 and 4) led the scoring parade for the Patriots, who also had fine efforts from Lydia Ward (3 and 2), junior midfielder Grace Marchetti (2 goals), junior attacker Annie Minoglio (2 goals) and junior midfielder Emma King (1 goal).
“We are very unselfish,” Seifert continued. “We don’t really care who scores. The kids really embrace that.”
Kelly, a co-captain with senior Haley Lauer, said that off-season workouts to become faster and stronger have served the Patriots well.
“Our senior class is loaded with leaders and talent who’ve developed tremendously this year and stepped up on and off the field,” the University of South Florida commit said. “Our coaching staff is extremely well-rounded, forcing our minds to be sharp for every game.”
Lauer chimed in that the JC’s intangibles contribute greatly to its success.
“I think our team works well together because we genuinely love and respect each other and enjoy being on and off the field together,” the Iona commit, who had an assist and caused a turnover against NDP, said. “Our culture has created an amazing chemistry and that is translating to the field.”
While the Blazers had their share of success on the offensive end, Julia Ward (10 saves) and senior Emma Bison (2 saves) helped to hold them to 10 goals.
The Ward twins, who are both Maryland commits, are not only having an excellent IAAM season, they were also members of the USA U-18 team that won the Brogden Cup last fall.
Seifert complimented Julia for being the kind of goalie “who can stand on her head” while pointing out that her sister has now scored over 100 goals and amassed 100 ground balls in a stellar career.
McCue, a basketball standout who earned MVP honors at the Johnny Mack Division of the All About the Girls Holiday Hoops tourney as a freshman, collected her 200th career draw by snaring nine against NDP. She also caused a turnover.
All in all, the Patriots should be feeling pretty good about themselves before concluding the regular season with a trip to Bryn Mawr on Friday and a home finale against Maryvale on Monday.
“The conference has amazing teams and great players,” Seifert said. “We respect and honor every one of our opponents. But we keep improving every game and keep gaining more and more confidence. It’s fun and rewarding as a staff to watch that. It’s super nice to see the girls being rewarded for their work.”
