Girls’ lacrosse prepares for upcoming season with new coach

With fewer players this season, teamwork and new skills play an important role in the team’s CCS prospects.

Head Coach: Alyssa Dunlap

Last year’s record: 4-8

Recap: The team placed 6th in the De Anza League

Key Matchups: Los Gatos High School, Gunn High School

Star Players: senior midfielders Casey Gilligan, Caroline Keogh and Lauren Vandevort

Key losses to graduation: attack Alex Cordova and defense Anna Schneider

League: De Anza League

Prognosis:

Following the loss of three seniors to graduation, the team lost 17-1 to Los Gatos on March 9 (with a goal scored by senior midfielder Caroline Keogh) and 13-3 on March 14 against Mountain View (with all three goals scored by senior midfielder Casey Gilligan).

The team faced low participation during their preseason: Eight of 23 athletes returned at the beginning of the season, prompting uncertainty regarding if the team would have enough athletes to field a team. Since then, they’ve since grown to 15 players.

With a fuller roster, the team hopes to improve their overall performance under the guidance of new head coach Alyssa Dunlap. Dunlap played D1 lacrosse at Vanderbilt University for four years and coached at Stanford from 2014 to 2016. She is also a co-founder and coach at Verve Lacrosse club.

“We actually didn’t know whether we would have a team this year because our old [head coach Mario Lile] left to coach at a club full time in Marin, but I feel like we’ve all adjusted really well,” junior defender Lucy Campbell said. “She’s a very intense coach and you leave practice feeling really accomplished.”

Dunlap emphasizes conditioning drills like sprints and 7-mile runs, and the team dynamic has improved in aspects like communication, Campbell said.

Despite their early lopsided losses, Campbell is optimistic about the rest of the season. During practices, the team has been working in the weight room and developing stick skills as well as practicing plays. After their first match against Los Gatos, the team also switched their practices to focus more on offensive work.

“The entire team worked well together and we support one another,” Campbell said. “We really got an idea of where we need to be.”