A fter a record-setting season a year ago, New Egypt High School’s girls lacrosse team suffered through growing pains in 2013 as the players retooled toward a promising future.
A year ago, Cortney Natalicchio scored 84 goals and the Warriors won their most games in a season at 12-6. Natalicchio finished among the state’s all-time leaders with 237 career goals before embarking on a college career at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ).
Only four players graduated off that team, but there were many freshmen and sophomores. New players replacing the departed ones were young, as well. The Warriors won just two games with only five seniors on the roster.
“We were young and needed to mesh the new players with the older ones,” said coach Katie Sawicki, who also coaches New Egypt’s perennially successful field hockey team. “We started three freshmen and also played another on the roster.”
Ali Natalicchio, Cortney’s younger sister, was one of them, and she started in goal. As for the others, Alexa Hladik was a midfielder and Alexys Moeller started on defense.
Alexis Marangoni, who will be going on to a college career playing lacrosse at Georgian Court University, missed half of the season with a concussion. Brianne Lammerding, a junior expected to contribute significantly this season, also missed half of the spring with an injury.
There were proud distinctions this season, including four seniors going on to college, three of them to play lacrosse. Danielle Andreula, the program’s all-time leading scorer with 171 points, is going to TCNJ to play lacrosse. She led the team this season with 43 goals and also had four assists, 47 ground balls, 40 draw controls and 27 forced turnovers, according to Sawicki.
Emma Bunce, who fired in 36 goals, will continue her lacrosse career at Misericordia University. Nicole Miller, who recorded 11 goals, six assists and 39 ground balls, is heading to TCNJ in a few weeks, but she will play soccer there. Another graduated senior, Courtney Stillwell, also finished with 11 goals.
Sawicki believes she has a good foundation of young players to get back on the winning track next season, many of them younger sisters of alumnae who played with distinction on past teams.
Along with Lammerding, juniors Makenzie Magnotta (a defender), Jenna Curran and Kristi Pannone; and sophomores Jessica Andreula (defender), Brooke Gatyas (attack), Faith Schuetz (goalie), Sarah Hammer and Danielle Swift have the talent, the experience they gained from this past season and the versatility to play different positions based on where they are needed.