New coach has experienced girls to lead team
By Justin Feil, The Packet Group
Alyssa Dragon enjoyed her first season of coaching at Robbinsville High School.
She is hoping that her second season as a head coach goes just as well.
Dragon is hoping she can guide the Robbinsville girls lacrosse team to success this spring after she comes off an 11-win season in her debut as the Ravens field hockey coach last fall.
”In field hockey, I got handed a very well groomed program,” Dragon said. “(Naoma) Cordi left a lot of good players. Everything she left me was great. I had a really great assistant field hockey coach. She had played at Rutgers. I had her experience with great players and good leadership. That fell into place well.”
Dragon now takes over the sport that she played in college at Old Dominion University. She is trying to figure out her team’s strengths as quickly as possible with the season scheduled to begin March 26.
”We’re off to a little bit of a slow start with the weather and short preseason,” Dragon said. “We only have two scrimmages, and only one scrimmage with my actual team.”
The Ravens played their first scrimmage without their seniors, who were on their Senior Trip. That trip might not make much of a dent on some teams, but the Ravens have 12 seniors this year.
”We have a huge senior class,” Dragon said. “We have a really talented group of sophomores. We only have a couple juniors. I’m hoping it all comes together and they have that great chemistry that’s important in lacrosse.”
Dragon takes over for Jan Pittas, who led Robbinsville to a 9-7 season a year ago. With such a strong senior group back, Dragon is encouraged by the base she will have.
”This team has great potential,” Dragon said. “I think they can have a very successful season. They were 9-7 last year. That’s a pretty good record for not being a really top program in the area.
”I think they have great potential. We have really talented players. I asked them their goals. Winning the county and their conference is always a good goal, and they have those goals.”
The Ravens will have to come together in a hurry. With games kicking off so soon, there isn’t a lot of time to prepare. It’s why Dragon feels fortunate to have some solid experience back in the fold.
”I know I have a lot of talented players,” Dragon said. “I have a couple girls that are nearing their 100th career goal. I know I have talented players. I haven’t really seen them in a game setting yet and I don’t know they work together.
”I don’t know if it’ll be like field hockey and one or two players score all the goals. I believe on a successful team, the goals are spread out. If everybody is working together and caring about the wins more than individual stats, that’s how you do well.”
Dragon is anxious to see her team in action, though she also wants more practice time to be prepared.
”It’s such a short preseason,” she said. “And there are not a lot of scrimmages. It’s hard to know what we want to work on without seeing them in a game situation.”
Robbinsville was scheduled to play Hopewell Valley and West Windsor-Plainsboro South on their final scrimmage day. Their first scrimmage featured Hopewell Valley, Princeton High, Old Bridge and Montgomery and it was a chance to see the future of the Ravens with seniors away on their trip.
”We have nine freshmen in the program,” Dragon said. “We don’t have enough for a freshman team. Eight of them have never picked up a lacrosse stick ever. I have such a wide gap of skill level, but I know a lot of my freshmen have potential. They play soccer, they play field hockey so they have that athleticism and speed. If you’re athletic and fast, I can teach you how to play lacrosse.
”The skills will come. They’ve only played lacrosse for a week. I got to see them play, and then we do have a couple very good sophomores. They really stepped up. I was able to see them step up and take that leadership role that they maybe wouldn’t have if the seniors were playing.”
The Ravens hope to mesh their talent and leadership in the coming weeks as they hit their stride. Mercer County won’t be waiting for them to get themselves together.
”I played at Bridgewater,” Dragon said. “I didn’t play at any of these teams. I remember Hopewell. I never played against any of them though. I coached at Hunterdon Central last year. I never coached against these teams we’re playing.
”I take it game by game. I can’t look that far ahead. I don’t know the teams that well yet. That’ll come as I learn this county and this area a little better.”
Alyssa Dragon’s first focus is learning her own team’s strengths and weaknesses. There isn’t much time, but she believes her Ravens could be in for one of the better seasons in their brief history.
”I’m excited for the season to start,” Dragon said. “It’s going by really quick. We’ve only had a week together. I wish we had a couple more scrimmages, and wish we had a little more time. We’ll take what we get and see how it goes. We’re not the only team with a short preseason. Everyone has a short preseason this year.”

