Girls' lacrosse prepares to crush competition

There's good news and bad news for the 2004 girls' lacrosse team. The good news: With last year's entire midfield returning, Blair's offense should be potent. The bad news: The loss of last year's co-captains and key defensive players Brigid McCarthy and Kristina Cammen leaves a significant hole on defense.

Coach Mike Horne remains optimistic about his young, inexperienced defense. "We have good athletes filling the void left by last year's seniors," he said.

The defense will depend on standout goalie senior Anna Benfield, who will anchor the defense in her third year as a starter.

Led by senior co-captains Ariel Wilchek, Sarah Robinson, Beth Gula and Mairead Hunter, Blair's offense will likely be a force to be reckoned with. Horne also expects "big things" from junior Lauren Finkel at defensive wing. Blair's offense will benefit from junior Erica Nowak, a transfer from Holy Cross High School, who looks to make an immediate impact on her first public-school team.

Horne believes that the Blazers, who have performed well in the preseason scrimmages, have immense potential and talent but may still lack some chemistry. "It's a question of bringing everyone together to play as a team," he said.

Providing added hope to the team is athletically-gifted senior Jamie Kovach, a first-year lacrosse player who starred at track and field in previous spring seasons but opted for a change of pace this year.
Blair finished the 2003 season with a 5-6 record, losing to Damascus in the second round of the playoffs.

Despite an inexperienced defense, Robinson is confident about the upcoming season. "We're going to be stronger than ever this year," Robinson said. "We have an incredibly talented returning crowd, and the new players show promise."

The first game is on March 22 at Poolesville at 5:15 p.m.