Pittas’ girls finish strong

Team wins 4 of final 6 starts

By: Neil Hay
   Late-season wins over West Windsor-North and traditional rival Blair highlighted the Peddie girls’ lacrosse season.
   The Falcons finished with a sub-par 5-9 record. But the locals won four of their final six starts to make the final mark respectable.
   The start of 2006 was difficult, acknowledged Coach Jan Pittas.
   Going into the season with only four seniors, Coach Jan Pittas did not really know what to expect from her stickers.
   "We had a lot of youth. I guess I expected better because we have talent. We didn’t have confidence in each other and that took a while to overcome." Once the Falcons became comfortable with each other, they began to play with more confidence. That is why the second half of the season could become a steppingstone for bigger things in ’07.
   At the end of the campaign, Peddie scored a big 13-12 win over West Windsor-North, which had taken a 10-3 record into the game. Hightstown-native Carolyn Gorajek netted what would be the game-winning goal for Peddie. A freshman attacker, Gorajek was one of three ninth-graders to start every game for the Falcons this year.
   Peddie then closed out the season on a winning note with a 20-10 win over Blair.
   "Those were the biggest wins of the season," agreed Pittas.
   The girls coach saw continued improved from her squad, "especially the young players." Senior Nikki Yesalavage led the team in scoring with 30 goals, with senior Hollis Stahl second with 27 goals.
   Looking ahead to next spring, Pittas knows she will have a sizable junior class to work with. But she is most excited about the underclassmen.
   "Our strength is our youth, the freshmen and sophomores. Next year could be another growing year. But we will be competitive."