On April 3, the Harrison girls lacrosse team took another step in the right direction, topping host Irvington 11-6. For a young—yet experienced—Huskies’ team, some strong early-season showings could portend big things come the end of the year.
Harrison’s aggressive defense set the tone on Monday, as the Huskies’ limited the Bulldogs to just one goal before halftime as they jumped out to a 5-1 lead.
First-year head coach Dennis Hurlie, who served as an assistant on the Harrison staff last year, said that the Huskies’ ability to pressure opposing teams attempting to get the ball out of their own end should be a calling card for the team this season,
“The first three games, our ride has been tremendous,” he said. “For me, the rides, clears and draws are the three most important things, so if you can make that work and you don’t give up any cheap ones, you should be able to have some success.”
Offensively, the Huskies got a balanced effort led by three goals from junior Stella Perini. In addition to Perini’s hat trick, four other players—Lila Berkery, Harper Lapin, Chelsea Porto and Mia Strazza—chipped in two goals apiece.
Goalie Marianna Sposato made a number of key saves once Irvington began to settle into an offensive rhythm in second half, helping to preserve the lead the Huskies had built in the first.
Hurlie noted that while the attack is still something of a work in progress, performances like Monday’s have him hopeful that the number of offensive options the Huskies possess could end up being a strength for the team.
“Right now, we’re doing a lot of good things with a lot of room to grow; as a coach, that’s a nice thing,” he said. “I think right now our goaltending, our ride and our defense have really stood out, and once we get a little more comfortable offensively and little more comfortable clearing the ball, we’re going to be tough come the end of the season.”
The Huskies will be back in action next week, when they will play three games against Briarcliff, Fox Lane, and Pelham. Hurlie hopes that his team will continue to make progress as they establish themselves as a true threat for a deep playoff push.
“We’re young, but we have a lot of varsity experience,” said Hurlie. “We were missing a few girls today, had a few kids in different spots so we had to work through that a little bit, but I have a lot of confidence in this group.”
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