LINWOOD – While the Mainland girls lacrosse team lost a lot of offensive firepower from last year’s 13-5 squad that reached the NJSIAA South Jersey Group III quarterfinals, the Mustangs are expected to command respect as once again one of the top local squads.
Coach Kelly Klever has put together a mixture of returning veterans and talented young players as the Mustangs will compete for the Cape-Atlantic League divisional title and try to advance in the postseason.
“I’m looking forward to coaching our returners this season because they have become true leaders,” Klever said of her 2022 team. “I’m also looking forward to our newcomers. They have a lot of potential and they’re really athletic. They’re really picking up concepts quickly. So it’s always nice to step on the field and watch them constantly improve.”
Klever’s squad got off to a fast start last week with a 22-2 victory over Atlantic City and a hard-fought 18-15 home-opening win against Holy Spirit.
The Mustangs showed their resilience against Holy Spirit, bouncing back from a 9-8 halftime deficit with senior attacker Julianna Medina scoring seven goals and sophomore midfielder Lani Ford with four.
So far this season, Medina has tallied 12 goals over the first two games while Ford as scored seven. Their scoring highlights the experience and youth of the Mustangs this season.
“Julianna Medina has been a leader for us since she was a freshman,” Klever said. “She just has that like the internal drive that not only pushes herself to be better, but pushes everyone around her to be better.
“She’s super coachable. She’s the type of kid you can yell at and she doesn’t take offense to it. She just channels it into a game.”
Klever said fellow senior starter Charlotte Walcoff, who has been injured, will also play a pivotal role in Mainland’s success this season.
“Charlotte is one of those kids who could play anywhere on the field,” Klever said. “She’s naturally intelligent, and her lacrosse IQ is like through the roof. When the ball’s on her stick, we all can breathe. She’s super coachable and she does the things that create goals for not only herself but her other teammates.”
Another starter, junior midfielder Jane Meade, was cleared to play last week after sitting out with a concussion. Meade scored key goals in Mainland’s comeback win against Holy Spirit last week.
The Mustangs also have several freshman starters who are expected to make an impact on the team. Freshman attack Ava Sheeran scored two goals in the Holy Spirit victory. Another freshman starter, Sofia Day, is best known as one of the top freshman distance runners in the state. She scored three goals against Atlantic City. Caroline Sher, a third freshman, is starting on defense.
“Ava just stepped in and went off basically,” Klever said. “She wants to be better and do better for the entire team, not just herself. You can see that in the way she plays. Her eyes are always open for all opportunities, not just for the scoring opportunity.
“She does the stuff in the midfield on the draw that allows us to gain possession for those goals. She’s like that scrappy player in the midfield that will always get the touch, get the ground ball and give us that momentum swing,” she said.
Klever said Day has displayed mental toughness skills along with her long-distance running.
“I think the mental toughness comes from running long distances so successfully,” Klever said of Day. “Like there’s nothing that brings her out of the game. She’s laser focused at all times.
“Then Caroline is on the defensive end. The same thing goes for her. She’s a sponge every time she steps on the field. We have a lot of talented newcomers.”
Klever said sophomore goalie Kylie Kurtz is playing above her grade level and provides a strong presence at goal. The coach said she’s most pleased with how hard Kurtz works to improve her game on and off the field.
“When she’s not playing lacrosse, she’s playing lacrosse,” Klever said. “For example, after practice, she’s always asking what she can be doing at home to get better.”
While Mainland has already showed its ability to focus and overcome challenges, their real challenge comes this week when the Mustangs travel to Carey Stadium to take on Ocean City in one of two regular season matchups.
The games between the Mustangs and Red Raiders are more than grudge matches. They pit two of the top girls lacrosse teams in the area.
Last year, Mainland lost a heartbreaking 11-10 match to Ocean City in their only regular-season meeting. Ocean City went on to advance to the South Jersey Group III semifinals a year ago.
“Ocean City is a great program and they have great coaching,” Klever said. “We don’t look at our goals against Ocean City as overcoming our past heartbreakers but we take those as learning lessons. I feel like that’s how you achieve your goals. I don’t take it as a failure if we don’t win.
“You take a failure as a learning lesson. Every game that is a heartbreaker, we ask what can we take from that game to improve upon in the future? So that’s kind of where we were last year and that’s kind of where we are every single game. We reflect on what we do. We watch film on what we do. Then we step on the field to do better at what we did.”
Another highlight on the schedule will be April 20 at Cherokee, a non-league contest against another top South Jersey squad. Cherokee won a tough match last year.
In the Cape-Atlantic League, Mainland will face Middle Township on April 15. The Mustangs split with Middle last year, losing the season opener 13-12 before taking an 18-8 win six games later.
By CLYDE HUGHES/Special to the Sentinel