Hopewell Valley girls lacrosse
By: Jim Green
The Hopewell Valley Central High School girls lacrosse team didn’t suffer any hangover from its tough loss to rival Pennington.
The Lady Bulldogs bounced back from last week’s two-goal defeat in superb fashion, overcoming the absence of two key players to beat Princeton 14-2 on April 14, followed by a 14-12 win Monday over West Windsor-Plainsboro North.
The Lady Bulldogs, winners of three of four, improved to 5-2 on the year. Senior Maggie Rarich scored four goals against Princeton and five against North, increasing her team-leading total to 29. Junior goalie Izzy Huston, who missed the Princeton game while on a chorus trip, returned to make 13 saves and pick up the win against North.
"They’re playing hard," Hopewell coach Pam Edwards said. "Today (Monday) we were up by six at one point. We found out where we need to work the ball around a little more. We scored some nice goals."
The Lady Bulldogs had an 8-4 halftime lead on the Knights, who fell to 3-4 on the season. In addition to Rarich’s five goals, Maggie Gustafson and Claire Grimwood each had three, Nicole Stevens netted two, and Cathy Bigelow had one.
Edwards was impressed by his squad’s ability to withstand a late charge by the Knights.
"North was challenging," she said. "In the past, sometimes we’ve been challenged and we haven’t risen to win. Today, we came out on top, and it was good for them to feel that."
The team benefited greatly from the return of Huston and Grimwood, who had been away with the HVCHS chorus during the Princeton game.
"Izzy had a great game," Edwards said. "In the Princeton game, we had a freshman goalie, Lauren Apgar, in. Mary Kate Mannix played great defense and stepped up, and the whole team stepped up. They really played out of their heads. A lot of that was sparked by Mary Kate Mannix. It was neat to see them do that."
Apgar made 10 saves, while Bigelow, Amy Palin, Sara Gustafson and Stevens each netted two. Palin and Eileen Carroll each had two assists. But the offensive leader was, as usual, Rarich, who had an assist to go along with her four goals.
"She has such a great work ethic," Edwards said. "I think, last year, she forced a lot. I think she’s learned a lot from that. I think she’s peaking at the right time. She’s putting it all together, and she’s been a very good leader on the team."
Edwards believes last season’s 3-10 record served as motivation for Rarich.
"She just really worked hard the whole offseason," Edwards said. "She doesn’t want another season like that. She’s fast, she’s focused, she sees space, and this year, she’s taking the accurate shot.
"I really think Maggie and Mary Kate and Mo Gallagher and Nicole and all the seniors understand that this is it, this is our season. And they’re really trying to make the best of it. They’ve set attainable goals they want to qualify for states and do well in the Mercer County Tournament."
That’s right the Mercer County Tournament of girls lacrosse is slated to return in mid-May. And the surging Lady Bulldogs should be capable of making plenty of noise in the tournament.
"I think it’s a great thing to have back," Edwards said. "It’s a great prepper for states. I think it’s just great for lacrosse to have it back. I think it was missing. It’s great for all the teams to be able to play in it."
NOTES: The Lady Bulldogs now enter a tough portion of the schedule, with five straight games against prep opponents. They play host to Hun at 4 p.m. today (Thursday) and Lawrenceville at 4:15 p.m. Monday before visiting Peddie on Wednesday.
"Hun will be a good test for us," Edwards said.

