WEST WINDSOR: Improving Knights pass tests

Girls’ lacrosse schedule features tougher foes

By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
   Coming off its first loss of the season and a disappointing tie, the West Windsor-Plainsboro North girls lacrosse team trailed Notre Dame by two goals late in the first half Saturday.
   ”We had a timeout,” said the Knights’ Jacquie Mihalyi. “Our coach talked to us and put our heads back in the game and really fired us up. Everyone started to realize how important the game was and that we’d have to work harder to get the win and it wouldn’t just come easily to us.”
   Mihalyi scored twice and Marissa Peters had another in a minute span as the Knights roared into a 5-4 halftime lead and never looked back on their way to an 11-8 win.
   ”Our first couple games weren’t as challenging,” Mihalyi said. “Now we’re playing harder teams and we have seen what we really have to work on. We can’t get by doing mediocre. We really have to focus.”
   WW-P North began the year 5-0 before losing to defending Mercer County Tournament champion Hopewell Valley last Tuesday. Then, Thursday they tied Stuart, 9-9. The teams did not play overtime because it was a non-conference matchup and the officials had to leave after regulation to work another game.
   ”Against Stuart, we stepped up our game,” said senior co-captain Deeksha Taneja. “They were definitely a very good team, but we were able to stay with them. We could have come out with a win if we played the way we usually do.”
   While Mihalyi has brought a strong offensive presence to the Knights, something she’s done since the junior was brought up midway through her freshman year, Taneja leads a defense that has kept opponents under double digits in back-to-back games.
   ”Deeksha is a senior defender who is phenomenal,” said North head coach Beth Mitchell, whose team was 6-1-1 heading into Monday’s scheduled game against Lawrence. “She’s been a starter since sophomore year. She just gets it. She has the best game sense. She is really tough. She’s so good with her positioning. That’s who I want all my defenders to emulate. She has such good stick skills and she’s quick. She’s an anchor for us.”
   Taneja has plenty of motivation in her final year with the Knights. After a strong basketball season, she is looking to lead North to its best lacrosse campaign in recent history. She was encouraged by last week as the Knights saw some tougher competition.
   ”I even feel like we improved throughout the week,” Taneja said. “We started off with Hopewell Valley and we ended up losing. Then it was like we were improving each game and it was great to see we won against Notre Dame by the end of the week.”
   Improvement is something all the Knights are striving for this season. Mihalyi has seen growth in her game and her role over the last two seasons.
   ”When I was a freshman and sophomore, I played really frantically,” Mihalyi said. “Now that I’m older, I’ve calmed down and I see my options more.
   ”I think my role as a center is to distribute the ball and try to make opportunities for other people. If I score, that’s good too.”
   Mihalyi finished with three goals against Notre Dame. Kimmy Collins had three goals and an assist. Maddie Antaya had two goals and two assists.
   ”Jacquie was a varsity starter by the end of her freshman year,” Mitchell said. “She’s one of the only freshmen I’ve ever pulled up. She’s a special player. She’s never played like a freshman. Her first game in, she scored a goal a minute in.
   ”She’s a natural athlete. She doesn’t put the weight of the world on her shoulders. She focuses on what she has to do. And she still has more that she can give to the sport, as good a player as she is.”
   The Knights are hoping to continue to get big contributions from Mihalyi, who they will have for one more season. Taneja is closing her final scholastic year.
   ”It’s definitely different,” Taneja said. “The sense of urgency that every senior has now is so evident. You really have to step up and be a leader for the team. During basketball, I was captain as well. I came away knowing what we have to do and what we have to accomplish.”
   She even had a goal Saturday, just the third this season for the defender, who this week played had an opportunity to get up the field more as a defensive wing. Scoring, though, isn’t her main focus.
   ”It’s really crucial to have a solid defense,” Taneja said. “This year, defense is stepping up. We’re more experienced this year. We have more returning players. In the beginning, we weren’t working as a collective unit. But as we’ve seen this week, it’s definitely coming together.”
   The Knights weren’t entirely sure how good their team was. But after a challenging week that saw improvements in each game, WW-P North has high hopes for the rest of the year.
   ”We feel good about the season,” Mihalyi said. “We know there are a lot of hard games that are coming up. We have to keep our heads in it.
   ”We have a lot of promising underclassmen. I think this is one of the strongest teams I’ve played on at North so far.”