by All Lacrosse coverage Girls and Boys at Kee On Sports is brought to you by MAXIM LACROSSE
Maxim Lacrosse – https://maximlacrosse.com/ – MAXIM Lacrosse will demand players embody the game by giving and receiving respect and understanding that character counts.
After jumping to leads of 4-0 and 8-1 in the first quarter, Magnificat’s lacrosse team was never really pressed, as the host Blue Streaks defeated Avon Lake Wednesday, 22-9.
Seven different players found the nets for Magnificat, which upped its record to 10-2. One such player was junior Alex Daprano, who was named the player of the game by coach Joe Bluemel. Daprano said that the Blue Streaks are not a team that takes any opponent lightly, despite the fact that Avon Lake entered the game with a 4-5 record.
“We don’t go in thinking we’re going to win,” she said. “We just know we’re going to try our best and work our hardest. We’re always excited to play.”
Magnificat sophomore Grace Quinn scored three goals in the opening period and finished the game with five. She was recognized before the contest for scoring the 100th goal of her career earlier in the week, and she now has 107 for her career and 49 on the season.
“Grace is just a phenomenal player,” Bluemel said. “Probably one of her best traits is that she’s very humble, too. She’s just a great kid. She has just one speed, and that’s acceleration. And she’ll play anywhere for us. She makes us coaches look good.”
However, Quinn wasn’t the leading scorer for the Blue Streaks. That honor went to freshman Mary Connor with six tallies, including three in the second quarter. Sophomore Alena Martinez added five goals for Magnificat, Kristina Fedorova had three, and Daprano, Lillian Shim and Stella Frain had one each.
“I was pleased with our draw today,” Bluemel said. “I think most teams that win the draw win the game, and I think we’re settling in nicely there. I also liked some of our rides and transitions. I also think our offense worked well.”
However, Bluemel was concerned that his team relaxed a bit once they built up leads such as 9-1 and 14-2 in the first half. Avon Lake battled back into the game, and in a stretch from the 3:53 mark of the second quarter to the 2:04 mark of the third quarter, the visitors scored six goals to three for the Blue Streaks, cutting the margin to 17-8.
“I think the issue was that at times we’d lose some of our concentration and that we need to play for four quarters,” Bluemel said. “Avon Lake is a solid team, and they can score. We have a long history with them, so it’s a good win. But we need to make sure that we keep our concentration and our focus.”
Avon Lake was led by sophomore midfielder Kendall Holley with four goals. She was backed by Eloise Kolofer and Nina Marinelli with two goals each.
