Bulldogs look ready for action in state games after a 10-2 start this season.
By: Mike Molaro
Pam Edwards has a simple philosophy when it comes to her Hopewell Valley Central High School girls lacrosse squad: Play hard and learn from each game.
That mantra has worked extremely well as the Lady Bulldogs have improved from 3-15 to last season’s 11-7 to this year’s current mark of 10-2, which includes a three-game winning streak.
In topping last season’s victory total, HoVal has established itself as one of the area’s better units and one that definitely can make some noise in the upcoming NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III Tournament.
With junior midfielder Claire Grimwood scoring four goals and freshman midfielder Kaitlin Cahill adding a pair of goals and an assist, the Lady Bulldogs on the road downed Peddie, 8-6, Monday.
Freshman midfielder Alison Cahill had a goal and an assist, junior attacker Eileen Carroll contributed a goal, and senior goalie Isabel Huston turned aside 10 Falcon shots.
"This was a pretty intense game," Edwards said. "We beat Peddie in double overtime last year and that was the turning point in our season. We knew they would be ready for us."
HoVal held a 4-3 halftime lead and Peddie peppered the Lady Bulldog nets with 18 shots, many of which Huston stopped with outstanding saves.
"Isabel kept us in the game with some big saves," added Edwards. "We started out slow and sluggish. Once we got the lead, we maintained it. We had good transition play at times."
With each game, HoVal is maturing into a team ready to rumble with the area’s best and taking nothing for granted.
"The girls have a lot of heart," Edwards said. "We are working on playing as a unit. One of the things I really like is that we have balanced scoring. Claire (Grimwood) has scored a lot of crucial goals for us. We try not to rely solely on her. We want to put pressure on opponents with different scorers. They can’t focus on just one person."
Grimwood had four goals and an assist in last Friday’s 18-3 home domination of Ewing.
Kaitlin Cahill scored three goals, senior attacker Sammy Novalbilsky and Alison Cahill each had two goals and an assist, junior midfielder Katie Gavin and sophomore attacker Viv Gilnett had two goals apiece, and sophomore attacker Taylor Orr, sophomore midfielder Leah Kulp, and Carroll each scored a goal.
Huston had four saves as the Lady Bulldogs held a 34-12 advantage in shots.
"We were able to run a lot of our plays," added Edwards. "Our attack stepped up. What we practiced we were able to put into play. Ewing is a relatively new squad. We had very good transition and good defense. I’m happy to see that we didn’t take them lightly."
HoVal opened action on May 3 with a 17-11 home triumph over Notre Dame.
Alison Cahill led the way with six goals, Grimwood had four goals, Carroll contributed three goals and two assists, Kaitlin Cahill had a pair of goals and two assists, Kulp had two goals and an assist, and Orr had an assist.
Sophomore goalie Lauren Apgar had five saves and Huston made one save as they shared the victory in the HoVal nets.
"Notre Dame is always physical and tough," Edwards said. "We let them beat us to the ball at times. Once we decided that enough was enough, we took control. We learned that we can’t turn the ball over and keep possession."
Despite their lack of experience, these Lady Bulldogs quickly have established an identity to be reckoned with.
"We are a young squad, but we have a lot of heart," added Edwards. "We try to learn from each game. We have stepped up our attack. Everyone at different times is stepping up. That snowballs in a positive way."
With one eye on the remainder of the regular season and another on the state tournament, HoVal hopes to keep the cylinders revving.
"We want to get a good seed for states," Edwards said. "We made it to the first round last year. We want more this year. If everyone plays their game, we can do something in the state tournament. We want the girls to keep learning."
Along with the learning comes the winning.
NOTES: The Lady Bulldogs hosted Allentown yesterday (Wednesday) and visit North Brunswick Saturday. Seedings for the CJ III Tournament, which begins on May 23, should be announced either May 18 or 19.

