WEST WINDSOR: Ingato, South lacrosse bounce back

By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
   Bianca Ingato has been playing lacrosse as long as anyone in the area, and she wasn’t about to miss her senior year on the West Windsor-Plainsboro South girls team.
   Ingato had to forego all but a half of a game in the fall soccer season, but is playing for the Pirates lacrosse squad after recovering from knee surgery that inserted two screws to try to keep her kneecap from moving out of place.
   ”I’ve been going to physical therapy three times a week since surgery in October,” Ingato said. “When I went back to doctor, he said, your kneecap is still messed up. I have a brace. It just keeps it stable. As long as I can play. . .”
   Ingato was enveloped by the game at an early age. She is the youngest of five Ingato children. The other four are boys.
   ”They taught me a lot,” Ingato said. “They don’t help me anymore. They’re done with lacrosse.
   ”It definitely did help having them. One of my brothers is 10 years older than me. They were in high school or middle school, and I was 5 years old and playing with them in the backyard. I was playing my whole life. That definitely gave me an upper hand.”
   Ingato’s contributions have come to be expected. She has been a key varsity player since her freshman year, and each year she has progressed and seen her value increase.
   ”She led us ground balls last year, was the leading goal scorer and had the most draw controls,” said Pirates head coach Kate Dobinson. “She’s a phenomenal.”
   Dobinson is in her second year as head coach at WW-P South, and she’s thrilled to have someone with Ingato’s skills, experience and passion back for another year. Even with a knee that has slowed her, Ingato never wants to come out.
   ”She’s putting everything together, she’s getting everything back,” Dobinson said. “Sometimes they’re not always honest with me. She’s always going 100 percent. I have to focus in on her mechanics to see if she’s in pain or slowing down.
   ”Bianca has a great field sense. Bianca is able to see the entire field. She’s fast. She’s a workhorse. She will move from the offensive end to the defensive end without hesitating. She’s a great player. She has some great skills. She knows how to move the ball. She plays great defense. She’s an all-around great player.”
   Ingato is putting everything she has into every game. The Pirates opened the season with a pair of hard-fought losses to Shore and Allentown, but bounced back with convincing wins, 17-4 over Lawrence and 20-10 over Hightstown, heading into Thursday’s scheduled game against Bridgewater-Raritan.
   ”Playing the better teams makes you a better team,” Dobinson said. “You get to see what the competition is, and if we want to get the program where we want it to be, we have to play the tougher teams.”
   WW-P South has been encouraged by its improvements since its first two losses. The losses were part of their growth with a lot of youth on attack and through the midfield.
   ”I think we played well,” said Ingato, who plays in the midfield. “We have a lot of young girls, a lot of good freshmen that made varsity. We haven’t played a lot together. Now we’re getting more into the swing of things and learning how everyone plays. We’re improving a lot since those games.”
   In the win over Hightstown, Dana Salerno had five goals, and Amanda Easter and Rachael Salerno had four goals apiece. Ingato had two goals and two assists to go with six ground balls. Eliana Hughes had two goals and an assist. Maddie Maley, Sam McCormick and Jasmine Wallack had single goals. Juliana Ardila and Claire Meiers split time in goal with both making a pair of saves.
   ”We’re a slow starting team,” Dobinson said. “That’s our Achilles heel. We’re more reactive than proactive. We need to get to the point where we have other teams reacting to us rather than us reacting to them.
   ”We’ve gotten better at moving the ball up and down the field. Our transition has improved. It’s working on the fundamentals. We played well (Tuesday) night against Hightstown. Hightstown was more aggressive than us. That was an eye opener. We need to be more aggressive back and do our thing rather than let other teams control the game.”
   The Pirates have been using a mix of classes. Ingato is one of seven seniors, and one of three that isn’t at full strength.
   ”I definitely notice a difference,” she said. “I just can’t run as fast. There are other girls, like the McCormicks, they’re able to run back on defense if I can’t.”
   Ingato’s knee has not improved since the season began, but she’s not letting it stop her from playing. She is determined to see the Pirates through a strong season.
   ”All I can do is try my hardest,” Ingato said. “Me and Rachael and Jasmine, we have to lead the team and be positive role models. We just have to try our hardest and that’s it.
   ”It’s not a big deal if we don’t have the best record — it would be nice,” she added. “As long as everyone keeps trying their hardest and everyone on the team gets along. I want the program to keep growing. I know other schools are cutting their freshman programs. We don’t want that. I want to see that keep going.”
   Ingato is up to her usual ways. She is among the team leaders in points, ground balls and draw controls. She has taken on a new role in several early games on the draw.
   ”Rachael took it in the beginning of the season, but it bothered her hamstring,” Ingato said. “I tried it and liked it.
   ”Eliana, she’s a junior, she took a lot in our game against Hightstown. It depends on who we’re playing. If the other person taking the draw is tall, it’s better if I do it. I would be on the circle last year. I took it sometimes last year, but nowhere near as many as this year already.”
   The Pirates are finding the pieces to make up their best unit this year, and they have started to play the way they wanted to.
   ”The last two games, we started to pick it up from the beginning,” Ingato said. “If we keep doing that, we’ll be able to beat good, solid teams that some people might not think we can beat.
   ”We’re a completely different team from last year. We had some drama last year. Everything has cleared up.”
   It’s a young group overall, and being challenged early has helped to bring them together. They are looking to continue to develop their chemistry as they take on other strong teams.
   ”I am encouraged with what I’m seeing,” Dobinson said. “Looking at it from a coaching standpoint, we lost a lot of girls. It’s not a rebuilding year. We’re getting back into it. We’re doing what we need to do. We’re making sure we’re sliding on defense and working as a unit. We’re trying to impress on the girls that it takes 12 players to play and you need all 12. You need your teammates, have to help each other and have to communicate.
   ”We’re progressing nicely. This being my second year, having that first year under my belt, that transitional year is over. They know what to expect from me. I know what to expect from them. It’s a smoother transition. I think we’re coming together as a team.”