By: Carolyn M. Hartko
Carolyn M. HartkoSports Writer
There’s one position on the South Brunswick High School girls’ lacrosse team that head coach Gail DeMarco doesn’t have to worry about for next year. The Lady Vikings have not one, but two, solid goalies working hard this year to keep the nets empty, and neither one is a senior.
This spring, junior Chrissie Tupe and sophomore Kelley Berkuta have been rotating in goal, and both expect to be back next year as seasoned veterans.
Tupe is a well-rounded athlete who has lettered in swimming, band and lacrosse all three years she’s been in high school.
"I’ve done sports since I was old enough to," the junior said. "I’ve done rec soccer, traveling soccer, rec softball, and rec basketball throughout the years. I did the softball team in Crossroads. And swimming I’ve done since I was seven. So, I’ve always been interested in athletics."
Berkuta also tried other sports in her younger days, but she’s confined her interest to lacrosse in high school.
"Freshman year, I saw the (lacrosse) poster on the wall," the sophomore said. "I used to play soccer, and I thought maybe I should play something else. I went to the meeting, and it looked interesting, so I tried out. I liked it, so I stuck with it."
Both girls starting out playing on the field. Berkuta volunteered to try out for goalie and found out she had a natural talent for the position. Tupe was recruited for goal as a freshman.
"I was very aggressive to the ball, and the coach suggested maybe I should try goalie," Tupe said. "I tried it and ended up doing well. One of the JV goalies got injured and I took over for her freshman year, and I just moved up from there."
Both girls have stuck with the job because it’s been fun as well as challenging.
"I like making the saves and being part of the defense," Tupe said. "I’m the first line of offense, and the last line of defense. It’s exciting."
"It’s fun, just being in there, and blocking shots, and having some really good saves," Berkuta added. "And the team’s really supportive of us."
Lacrosse is one of the newer sports for girls at SBHS, and it’s one that the majority of players haven’t even seen, let alone played, before they get to the high school. But once introduced, it’s easy to get hooked.
"Swimming’s my first sport, and it’s more of an individual sport," Tupe said. "But lacrosse is more of a team game. I loved soccer and all that other stuff, and this is more of a team game, and I like that."
"I just like the whole aura of (lacrosse)," Berkuta said. "It’s really interesting, and the team is a lot of fun. I like being on the team with everybody. It’s just a fun sport: fun to watch and fun to play."
As a coach, DeMarco is into team building, and the lacrosse squad spends plenty of time together off the field as well as on it. This past Sunday, the Lady Vikings went to dinner as a team to the Olive Garden, partly as a way to get ready for Monday’s game against Hillsborough.
"We like doing team-bonding things," Berkuta said. "Next, we’re going to have a barbecue. It helps just to bond together, and it helps you play better on the field, and trust each other more. So, we like doing stuff like that a lot."
The Vikings got off to a shaky start this spring, but two recent victories have them even at 4-4. That includes Monday’s 13-9 win over Hillsborough. Berkuta was in goal that day, and she made 16 saves.
Both goalies credit the success to better team work and more communication on the field. And if the Lady Vikings could conquer the basic skills, they would be unstoppable.
"Now, we’re really close and united," Berkuta said. "We’re really working well together, helping each other with constructive criticism and stuff like that. We’re a good team, but sometimes we just have off days and we just need to practice more on the fundamentals."
Berkuta intends to take her own advice. She’s working hard on improving her record against ground shots. Tupe feels she needs to be more aggressive in goal. With that kind of attitude, next year should be dynamite for these two goalies, and the rest of their team.

