Senior girls lacrosse player Aliza Very jokingly predicted to an assistant coach that she would score 10 goals during Baldwin’s game against Armstrong on Tuesday.
That’s exactly what she did, as the Highlanders shut out Armstrong, 19-0.
“When I got to the game, me and my Coach Darryn Sleeman were talking and messing around, and she asked me how many goals she thought I would score. I jokingly said 10. But as I started playing, I wanted to challenge myself and prove to my coach I can make the shots,” Very said.
“When I scored my 10th goal, I was so happy,” Very said. “It hit me at the last second of the game, when everyone on my team surrounded me and celebrated.”
Many other Highlanders also were involved in the big win.
“I think Olivia O’Malley had amazing draw control, constantly creating opportunities for the other players and herself, and on defense she was very loud and great at communicating,” Very said.
Senior Alexa Sherman said freshman Maddie Murphy stood out.
“When Maddie was shooting, she was precise and her communication was good,” Sherman said. “I was really proud of her, as was the rest of the team, because starting as a freshman can be pressuring and she handled it with ease”.
It was the team’s home opener, which made the victory special, particularly for seniors.
“I think for this game being my last ‘first home game,’ it was really rewarding to win. Especially because we all work so hard, for it to pay off is just really rewarding for us as a team,” Very said.
Sherman agreed.
“For all the four years that we have played together, we lacked effort in our practices,” Sherman said. “And now that we have been putting in more effort in practices and scrimmages, it really showed how we as a team can be successful with hard work and good communication.”
The team’s next game is Monday at Mount Lebanon.
