by Lizi Thach ’18

The girls’ varsity lacrosse team earned the number one seed in section one of the Maryland Public Secondary Athletic Association after blowing past their Montgomery County competition this season. After winning a closely contested game by a score of 9-7 against Whitman on March 23, the Warriors outscored their nine remaining opponents in the county by a margin of 154-29.

The Warriors entered the season full of expectations to excel towards states, especially after reaching the Regional Finals last year and losing 16-14 in a highly competitive game against Howard. The best girls’ lacrosse programs in Maryland reside outside of Montgomery County, and Sherwood scheduled top opponents to start off the season. On March 21 against Southern, a state semifinalist last year, the Warriors came out on top 12-9. Two days later, the Warriors lost 22-6 against 2015 state champion, Century.

“[Century] is one of the best teams in the country … so we were grateful to have them show us our weaknesses early,” said Coach Kelly Hughes. “We were shown some holes in our game and it gave us something to focus on instead of something to hang our heads about.”

One of the reasons for the team’s offensive output is that several of the talented players are capable goal scorers. Hughes explained that the team knows their individual and team movements very fluidly, and the team’s experience has shaped the team’s offensive play style. “This is a team full of seniors who have played together for a long time,” said Hughes. “At this point in their careers, everything I would ever ask them to do together on the field is already being done as second nature. Passes move swiftly and girls are in the right place at the right time.”

A mid-season bonus to the team’s fluid attacking style is the return of senior Taylor Andrews from a serious ligament injury. She has the ability to initiate the team’s offense into motion. Senior Danielle Rohrman’s athleticism continues to amaze observers with her speed and technical skills, especially for a player who first started playing lacrosse as a sophomore.

After a successful regular season, the Warriors will host the winner of Paint Branch at Westminster on Saturday, May 14, at 2 pm in the Sectional Semifinals. The team is preparing by studying other teams in order to advance past state regionals. The Warriors are likely to face Howard on May 18, and they are game-planning for potential opponents.

“We pick key players from the other team to designate as threats,” commented Hughes. “We do this against tough teams as often as we can; it’s important to be prepared and be ready to adjust our play to counter the other team.”