Anderson and Pena lead Girls Lax

As girls lacrosse enters the middle of its season, it maintains a 10-2 overall record and a  6-0 record in conference. The main league competitors this year are Madison, Morristown-Beard, Morris Knolls, and Caldwell. Despite some close games, the girls have prevailed against all these teams.

Glen Ridge has proven to the team’s toughest foe, dealing them their only two losses, back to back. On May 1, the girls played Glen Ridge for the ECT semifinals and lost 15-8 after staying competitive through the half which ended 4-4 before Glen Ridge pulled away.

Senior Kaitlyn Keane said “Glen Ridge deserved to win both games and we just need to improve and learn from the losses.” Keane believes Verona can grow into a team just as formidable as Glen Ridge by the end of the season.

Entering the season, the team lost one of its most important offensive players, junior Maggie Ashley, to a knee injury.  Ashley, who hopes to be back for her senior year and who is committed to play in college at Bucknell is easily among the top three talents on the team. The team came together and has continued to perform despite losing one of the stars. Among other underclassmen are Cecilia Courter, Julia Mackey, Sarah Carlucci, and Maggie Lonsinger. Courter has eight goals on the season, Mackey has 12 goals along with five assists, Carlucci has seven goals, and Lonsinger, a freshman, has five goals and six assists.  

The team’s offensive stars are seniors Ava Anderson and Dana Pena. Anderson has 54 goals and three assists. Her insane goals count results from the offense being run through her. Anderson is attacking almost every time she gets the ball. Her numbers might have people thinking she will play Division I athletics. However, next year, Anderson will attend Cornell University and will not be playing lacrosse. Pen,a who has 42 goals and 12 assists, will play at Rutgers University next year. She is the main midfielder on the girl’s team and arguably the most important player on the field. The combined 111 points between the two of them are significantly more than the rest of the team combined.

As the season enters its second half, the girls have their sights set on a high seed in states. As long as Anderson and Pena stay healthy and the underclassman continue to improve, the team should be ready for a strong run in the state tournament.