Peters Township girls lacrosse team passes big test
Peters Township girls lacrosse coach Kristin Caponi has no doubt that her top-ranked Indians will face Pine-Richland at some point during the WPIAL Division 1 playoffs later this month.
"They're a good team," she said of the Rams shortly before her Indians overcame a three-goal deficit to defeat the Rams 13-10 in a non-section game last Monday at Pine-Richland.
The elation was short-lived, however, as the Indians fell to No. 4 Mt. Lebanon, 12-10, on Thursday, before rebounding with a 16-8 victory over Oakland Catholic on Friday. The week's action left the Indians with an overall record of 12-2 and 7-1 in WPIAL Division 1, Section 1 play. Pine Richland, 11-2, bounced back with a 14-12 victory over Sewickley Academy. Monday's game was the only regular-season meeting between the Indians and the Rams.
"They have two really strong seniors (midfielders Brit Byerly and Drew Hayden) and a good junior class," Caponi said of the Rams. "I worked with a lot of their juniors, so I know what they are capable of doing. This game didn't count for the section, but you get to see what they have and what we'll potentially be looking at in the playoffs. We'll be able to see what we need to improve on and what we need to fix."
Caponi's team, though, has a lot of strong players. Caitlin Carey has been strong lightly. The junior midfielder scored the winning goal in a 14-13 overtime victory last month over Shady Side Academy. And in the game with Pine-Richland, Carey scored five goals -- three of them in the second half -- as the Indians scored seven successive goal at the outset of the second half to erase a 7-4 deficit and take an 11-7 lead with 15:55 left in the game.
Caponi had a short, but direct, message to her team at the break.
"I told them that we were better than this and that we were lacking confidence," she said. "We needed to let go of the mistakes that we made and play Peters Township lacrosse. We were missing our shots on the attack, and we were not communicating very well on defense. Once we got those things figured out, it gave us a little more confidence."
It hasn't surprised Caponi at all that Carey has become such a key player in the Indians' success.
"Caitlin is a scrappy player who pours her heart on the field," she said. "She hustles everywhere and is extremely fast and her (versatility) to play well on defense along with offense is something I haven't seen from many players. She stays calm and hustles. Caitlin knows how to control the ball and get around her defenders. She's effective around the field on attacks, feeding (other players) and setting picks."
Another junior midfielder who has made a huge impact is Hannah Wilcox.
Wilcox, who move to Peters Township from New Jersey before her sophomore year, scored three goals before she had to leave the game with an ankle injury with 18:52 left in the game.
" 'Jersey' is just a born leader," Caponi said of Wilcox. "She leads through example. The most important thing about her is that she puts in the hours. She stays after practice, works on her shooting and works on her stick work. When we have days off, she's the one out there working hard. She deserves all the recognition that she gets."
Caponi thinks Wilcox will have to take some time off with what she believes is a sprained ankle.
"She could be out for a week, but she's a tough kid, so I know she'll want to push herself," Caponi said.
Starting goalie Mel Morgret took a blow to the face with 16:06 left in the first half with the score tied at 2-2.
Pine-Richland went on to outscore the Indians 5-2 for the remainder of the first half for a 7-4 lead. Morgret, who is labeled a starter along with fellow junior Sarah Kronket, returned at the outset of the second half and finished the game.
"When she came back in, she was just fired up to get revenge," Caponi said. "She gave the team some confidence. She was stopping the ball, and they wanted to help her out, too."
"They're a good team," she said of the Rams shortly before her Indians overcame a three-goal deficit to defeat the Rams 13-10 in a non-section game last Monday at Pine-Richland.
The elation was short-lived, however, as the Indians fell to No. 4 Mt. Lebanon, 12-10, on Thursday, before rebounding with a 16-8 victory over Oakland Catholic on Friday. The week's action left the Indians with an overall record of 12-2 and 7-1 in WPIAL Division 1, Section 1 play. Pine Richland, 11-2, bounced back with a 14-12 victory over Sewickley Academy. Monday's game was the only regular-season meeting between the Indians and the Rams.
"They have two really strong seniors (midfielders Brit Byerly and Drew Hayden) and a good junior class," Caponi said of the Rams. "I worked with a lot of their juniors, so I know what they are capable of doing. This game didn't count for the section, but you get to see what they have and what we'll potentially be looking at in the playoffs. We'll be able to see what we need to improve on and what we need to fix."
Caponi's team, though, has a lot of strong players. Caitlin Carey has been strong lightly. The junior midfielder scored the winning goal in a 14-13 overtime victory last month over Shady Side Academy. And in the game with Pine-Richland, Carey scored five goals -- three of them in the second half -- as the Indians scored seven successive goal at the outset of the second half to erase a 7-4 deficit and take an 11-7 lead with 15:55 left in the game.
Caponi had a short, but direct, message to her team at the break.
"I told them that we were better than this and that we were lacking confidence," she said. "We needed to let go of the mistakes that we made and play Peters Township lacrosse. We were missing our shots on the attack, and we were not communicating very well on defense. Once we got those things figured out, it gave us a little more confidence."
It hasn't surprised Caponi at all that Carey has become such a key player in the Indians' success.
"Caitlin is a scrappy player who pours her heart on the field," she said. "She hustles everywhere and is extremely fast and her (versatility) to play well on defense along with offense is something I haven't seen from many players. She stays calm and hustles. Caitlin knows how to control the ball and get around her defenders. She's effective around the field on attacks, feeding (other players) and setting picks."
Another junior midfielder who has made a huge impact is Hannah Wilcox.
Wilcox, who move to Peters Township from New Jersey before her sophomore year, scored three goals before she had to leave the game with an ankle injury with 18:52 left in the game.
" 'Jersey' is just a born leader," Caponi said of Wilcox. "She leads through example. The most important thing about her is that she puts in the hours. She stays after practice, works on her shooting and works on her stick work. When we have days off, she's the one out there working hard. She deserves all the recognition that she gets."
Caponi thinks Wilcox will have to take some time off with what she believes is a sprained ankle.
"She could be out for a week, but she's a tough kid, so I know she'll want to push herself," Caponi said.
Starting goalie Mel Morgret took a blow to the face with 16:06 left in the first half with the score tied at 2-2.
Pine-Richland went on to outscore the Indians 5-2 for the remainder of the first half for a 7-4 lead. Morgret, who is labeled a starter along with fellow junior Sarah Kronket, returned at the outset of the second half and finished the game.
"When she came back in, she was just fired up to get revenge," Caponi said. "She gave the team some confidence. She was stopping the ball, and they wanted to help her out, too."
lacrosse