Mt. Lebanon ladies off to 9-0 start in lacrosse
Mt. Lebanon’s Allena Holzworth (No. 18) and Anna Albers (No. 10) battle Chartiers Valley’s Katie Glausser (No. 18) for a loose ground ball during recent girls’ lacrosse action.
Megan Gibbons (No. 26) races down field on a break but is shadowed by Alivia Cangelier (No. 11).
Amanda Riesmeyer controls the ball despite the defensive efforts from Chartiers Valley’s Alivia Cangelier (No. 11)
Chartiers Valley goalie Grace Schneider comes out to make the save on a shot taken by Mt. Lebanon’s Megan Gibbons
Bruce Kattan developed a blueprint for success for the Mt. Lebanon girls’ lacrosse team. In fact, last season, under his direction, the Blue Devils won their fourth district title and reached the semifinals in the PIAA tournament, losing to Garnet Valley, 20-7, to finish the campaign at 22-1 overall.
“Our focus each season is the same,” explained Kattan. “Play well in our Division and Section, qualify for the playoffs then we start to think about and concentrate on what we need to do to win a WPIAL title. If we are able to do that then we can look forward to challenging for a state title but you need to do the first part in order to be able to do anything after that.”
So far in 2015, the Lebo ladies are following the script. They are 9-0 overall. Plus, they are coming off a key win, 12-10, last week against Chartiers Valley, which has been the Division II runner-up for several seasons.
In the victory, Allena Holzworth and Megan Gibbons each registered hat tricks. Estelle Reich and Amanda Riesmeyer each scored twice while Anna Albers provided a single tally. She dished up five assists. Gibbons, Riesmeyer (2) and Sophia Klaber also managed assists. In goal, Carina Barnes had 10 saves.
“The CV game was a very good game. They played very well,” said Kattan of the back-and-forth contest. “CV is a very good team and always plays hard. They make you work for every draw control and goal. We were very happy with how we never stopped working hard from the start of the game to the final horn always pushing the pace of play on offense and defense.”
Upcoming matches against Shady Side, Peters Township and Oakland Catholic will require similar efforts from the Lebo ladies. In addition to a rematch with the Colts, the Blue Devils will also battle Seneca Valley in a non-league contest.
“All of our section opponents play every game hard and we don’t take any of them lightly,” Kattan said. “Our out-of-section game against Seneca Valley will also be a great test.
“We are taking it one game at a time and focusing on playing to our best abilities each game and if we do that we hope that the outcome of the game will be in our favor.”
Thanks to a potent attack and strong defense, matches have all gone in Lebo’s favor this spring. Gibbons leads the offensive, erupting for 48 goals. The junior also has dished up 10 assists. Albers, another junior, is the playmaker with 30 assists. She has tallied 17 goals. Senior midfielders Holzworth and Riesmeyer each have scored 21 times. Holzworth has eight assists; Riesmeyer, nine. Klaber, a junior middie, has compiled 20 goals and 15 assists. In the nets, Barnes is averaging 10 saves a game.
Even when a team dominates the opposition and runs the table, there is, says Kattan, room for improvement. That desire to become better players propels the Lebo ladies. Currently, they are concentrating on limiting turnovers, beefing up their defense and working on their offensive efficiency.
“Our players are always looking to improve and learn new things in either practice or games and we really push them to not be complacent and always work hard and push each other,” Kattan said. “We have great team leaders and it has shown this season.”
The Blue Devils have had plenty of leadership on defense, which rarely garners much recognition. Among the team’s premier defenders are: Laura Pryor, Lauren Linkowski, Maria Krakora, Claire Kuhn, Liz Donley, Molly Collins, Kelly Haggerty, Lainey Lipinski, Ana Dorr and goalie Renee Cline.
While Alexa Turkovich, Maddie Weber, Caroline McCabe and Erin Cowell assist the attack, Kattie Trombetta, Aly Klaber and Alexis Gibbons lend strength to the midfield.
While the Lebo ladies have put the pieces of the puzzle together for an undefeated season so far, they recognize from their past experiences that winning championships, even a state title, requires attention on a daily basis to the fundamentals.
“We have to focus on doing all the little things correctly,” Kattan said.
Noting how Lebo experienced some jitters in the state semifinals because it was uncharted territory for the program, he added, “I think that we just need to work on being a complete team that does everything right. Garnet Valley showed us last year it isn’t just about scoring goals or offense and defense. It is about being a complete team and having the ability to play any style of game.”