On Saturday, March 16, the varsity girls lacrosse team fought hard against the Lockport Porters in a tough home game, ending with a 19-7 loss. 

The game started off with the Porters scoring five goals, however the Wildcat momentum picked up with senior attacker and midfielder Carli Bance (14) scoring the first Libertyville goal at the end of the first quarter. 

Bance was the leading scorer for the home team with three goals. Her second came during a play at the beginning of the second quarter, which saw multiple goals by Libertyville as they continued to close the gap. With two more goals scored at the beginning of the second quarter by junior midfielder and attacker Siyani McNeely (24) and senior midfielder Sophia Weick (13), the home team was able to narrow the Porters’ lead to 5-4. 

Lockport retaliated with three goals of their own, ending the second quarter at a score of 8-4, while Weick mentioned the need to improve on certain aspects of their defense. 

“We need to work on our defensive transitions, [as well as] hustling back a little more,” Weick said.

To start the third quarter, junior Sophie Lee snatched up the ball, kicking off the second half with a Wildcat goal. 

“I think our number one thing that we need to improve on is just that aggressiveness when the ball hits the ground,” Head Coach Andra Dalton said. “Just getting possession and then maintaining that possession.”

Bance scored her third goal on a free position shot, bringing the score to 9-6. Lockport intercepted the ball and ran it in to score, while Lee later assisted Weick in scoring the Cat’s seventh and final goal of the game. 

After a hard-fought battle, the game ended with a score of 19-7.

Coach Dalton emphasized the importance of team spirit and working towards a common goal, which is why the team picks a theme for each year. 

“This year’s [theme] is BELIEVE, taken from Ted Lasso,” Dalton said. “I think that just having that common goal is one of the best ways that we bring it together,”Dalton said. “Then we just keep refocusing on it every time we talk [and] every time we get together.”

In thinking about their next game, the Wildcats reflected on the importance of their mental game, with Bance talking about “coming into the game with a better mindset.” 

Freshman goalie Mary Minogue stated her motto to be “motivation over everything.” 

Minogue also emphasized the team’s need to “keep up the drive the whole game [and keep] high energy.”

Circling back to their season theme, Coach Dalton said that the team had “talked about what it means to believe in each other, believe in themselves and believe in the program.”

The Wildcats will next play away in Palatine against the Fremd Vikings on Tuesday, March 19.