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Junior Abby Converse, left, and senior Piper Sabrowski will be the captains this season for the Woodstock Academy girls’ lacrosse team. Photo by Marc Allard/Woodstock Academy.
Girls’ Lacrosse Preview
Miller likes how things have started
If there is anything spring is known for in high school athletics, it’s the coaching carousel.
It happens in just about every school thanks, in part, to the number of athletic programs taking place.
Woodstock has its share of first-year head coaches this spring and the girls’ lacrosse team is not immune as Heather Miller has assumed the helm of the program.
The one thing the team has noticed immediately is the more structured ways that Miller goes about things.
“Things are going really well,” said senior co-captain Piper Sabrowski. “She has everything planned out and everything flows smoothly. It’s something that we need.”
On the field, Miller said she has been stressing the fundamentals, the passing and receiving and the ground balls.
And the new discipline has helped.
“I think the girls are thriving off the structure and the organization,” Miller said. “We are connecting very well. The girls are just really clicking.”
The Centaurs did have one scrimmage against Shepherd Hill and while they did not end up on the winning side of the scoreboard, Miller found plenty of positives.
“I don’t think the scoreboard tells everything. After that scrimmage, I have complete confidence that the girls are going to be able to get exactly what I am teaching and everything will fall into place,” Miller said.
The new head coach does have the advantage of a host of returners.
The Centaurs return their top goal scorer, senior Caroline Harris (11 goals, 1 assist) who will join classmates Sabrowski (three goals) and Sophia Petrella; juniors Kaelyn Tremblay, Maggie Marshall and Abby Elliott and sophomore Kaylee Saucier (9,1) as returners up front and in the middle.
“I think it’s a really good thing,” junior back and co-captain Abby Converse said of the number of players coming back from last season. “It’s a lot of building blocks that we just keep putting on top of each other and it’s helpful.”
Adding to the depth up front and in the middle will be sophomores Clara Dowdell, Sophia Rattray, Olivia Manbeck and Grace Lescault.
“I hope that if I can get all of these sophomores (the team has over 20 of them) to come back and finish their junior and senior years, we will have a phenomenal senior season (in two years),” Miller said. “This will be a building season on fundamentals, game IQ, concepts, team building, and trying to put together some cohesiveness.”
Converse will anchor the back along with sophomore Vivian Bibeau and senior Ava Hovestadt with junior Abby Houle back in net.
Miller said the defense is where much of the focus is this season but that should improve as the unit gets a chance to work together on a regular basis.
“The scoreboard is not our main priority this season. It’s not that I don’t want to win games, I do and the girls do, and everything we do has a competitive edge because that is necessary to build a competitive spirit. The scoreboard, however, never reflects everything that the girls do quality wise. I don’t emphasize winning or losing, I emphasize that when we walk off the field, we did exactly what our principles of play were and that we feel good about our performance. That will reflect on the scoreboard in time,” Miller said.
Sabrowski agreed with that approach as she said she plans to return just to see the improvement occurring over time with the program.
She would, however, like to get more than just the one win the Centaurs were able to achieve last season.
Sabrowski said, “Winning is not the most important thing but it helps and it makes the season seem like it was worth something.”
Miller said the goal is certainly to win, at least, more than last season.
“It’s a good place to start,” Miller said. “I believe one win more than last season would be an improvement from where they came from and I do believe the more wins we have, the more confident we will be. We’re not setting any high win goals, we’re being realistic because I want the girls to feel accomplished.”
The new head coach does see one very good sign already.
The team has a good vibe about it.
“I’ve already fallen in love with them,” she said. “My weakness as a coach is remembering names and I’ve accomplished that so it can only go up from there. These girls are awesome. They signed a commitment form and have pledged to be here and to give their best every time they set foot on this field, but most important, I think they are having fun.”
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
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