OCEAN CITY — Through the end of last week, the Ocean City High School girls lacrosse team was a perfect 8-0 in the Cape-Atlantic League and has used its out-of-conference games to help prepare for the “second season.”
On Saturday at Carey Stadium, the 9-4 Red Raiders topped Spring-Ford, Pa. 13-4 at home, led by Madison Wenner’s 4 goals.
Delainey Sutley, Katie Pierce and Brynn Culmone had 2 each and Gracie Pierce, Grace McAfee and Ryan Cooke had 1 apiece in the victory.
The only teams the Red Raiders have fallen to this season are Haddonfield, Cherokee, Moorestown and Cape Henlopen, and three of those losses were by 1 or 2 goals.
“We really try to bolster that non-conference play with the top teams in the state of New Jersey in the south,” head coach Lesley Graham said.
They aim to win those games, she added, “but you win or you learn, so we’ve learned a lot from those games that have pushed us and challenged us and we are taking something from it and moving into what will soon enough be second season, the playoffs.”
“They’re tough but I feel they’re getting us ready for playoffs and that’s when it’s really going to matter,” Pierce, a junior midfielder, said about the non-conference opponents.
Teammate and senior defender Andi Helphenstine added, “I think it’s definitely helping us. It’s tough because we’re coming close but still coming out with a loss, but I think that having those tough games will really prepare us for playoffs and we’ll be able to come out on top, hopefully.”
So far this season, Sutley, a junior, is the scoring leader with 38 goals and McAfee, a senior, tops the assists list with 11. Wenner, a senior, isn’t far behind Sutley with 31 goals; sophomore Ryan Cooke has 20, fellow sophomore Culmone and Pierce have 18 goals each, junior Kelsea Cooke and freshman Katie Pierce have 15 each and junior Breanna Fabi has 11.
“We are really fortunate to have seven offensive players out there who can do it all,” Graham said. “We’ve got dodgers and drivers and feeders and finishers. Delainey Sutley is a phenomenal player but she is surrounded by other phenomenal players. I think that … helps take some of the weight off of her shoulders but also she’s very selfless with the ball, so when she knows she’s going to draw a double, because (opposing teams) know who she is, she gets that pass off, finds her teammates, and they can finish. It’s nice to see a cohesive attacking unit working together.”
Pierce and Helphenstine are pleased with how the team is working right now and they have high expectations this season — they both want to win a state championship. “I think we’re working really hard and as a team. It’s been an exciting season,” Pierce said.
“Losing (starting goalie) Presley (Green) earlier in the season we definitely had a harder start, but I think we’re working really well with Aliza (Otton) and rallying around her and it’s been a good season so far.”
“Our defense has been fantastic. Individually they are very solid, one-v-one defenders, but even stronger as a defensive unit,” the coach said. “They have each other’s backs, they slide, they help, they are willing to take risks when risks need to be taken and they’ve really rallied around whoever has been in the cage.
“Ellie (Kutschera) helped us out and Aliza is a true freshman and has really stepped into that role and grown with it. It’s nice to see that whole defensive unit come together.”
Graham said the team also is fortunate to have depth in the midfield as well, allowing the unit to play with a high level of intensity all 50 minutes because they are able to rotate girls in and out.
The coach knows her players have lofty goals, but she never wants them to get ahead of themselves.
“We talked in the preseason about the talent that we have and what we want to accomplish as a team, but we’re also very focused on one day at a time, the next game, the next practice, whatever needs to be done in order to get to that next level,” she said. “We try not to look ahead too much. It’s kind of focus-forward and go from there.”
The Red Raiders had a rematch with Mainland on Tuesday and have a rematch with Holy Spirit at 4 p.m. Thursday at the Spartans’ home field. Ocean City topped Mainland 18-7 in their first game and handed Holy Spirit (8-1) its only loss of the season, 19-11. After those games, Ocean City takes on two more out-of-conference opponents, Lenape at 11 a.m. Saturday and Clearview at 4:15 p.m. May 17.
Photos and story by DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
