Young WO girls lacrosse growing into contender

By Steven Ryzewski
| 6:46 a.m. March 5, 2015

Sports

After dropping two out of three contests in mid-February (to rival Olympia and Jacksonville’s Creekside High School), the West Orange Warriors have rebounded to win three straight and a team with just two seniors might be finding its stride.

“We have a young team, so we’re trying a lot of the new kids on the field,” coach Mary Hopkins said. “We have some very dominant kids, and we only have two seniors this year.”

Hopkins’ Warriors (7-2) defeated Apopka, Boone and University last week by a combined score of 47-9.

Although none of those programs are considered elite, it was nonetheless an encouraging week for a West Orange team that has some big games looming — including a matchup against Potomac (Washington, D.C.) March 23.

“Win or lose, it’s not as important to us to take the win but just to measure up to see how (we play) when our hands are held to the fire,” Hopkins said of the contest against an out-of-state opponent. “(We want) to see how well we react.”

With a pair of road games ahead against East Ridge (March 5) and Bishop Moore (March 9), senior Leah Hughes is optimistic about what she and her teammates can accomplish.

“Of course, we want to get better and not have any more losses,” Hughes said. “It should be a good season if we keep it up.”