CHS Girls Lax Completes Solid First Season in New Conference

When the eight graduating seniors of the Columbia girls lacrosse team look back on the first season in Super Essex Conference American Division and in the NJIGLL (the state's toughest conference), they should feel good about what they've accomplished.

Saying their schedule was brutal is like saying it's a little chilly in Alaska. The Cougars' schedule was a nightmare, which included four regular season games against teams ranked in the top 10 in the state, four state sectional champions (Glen Ridge, Mendham, Chatham, Oak Knoll), three group champs and one Tournament of Champions finalist.

"It's really tough to get up for all of those tough games," said Columbia head coach Marguerite Dempsey. "There were no gimmes. … Going into the season, I wasn't sure how they were going to respond to playing against tough opponents day in and day out. In the beginning, I think they were a little rattled."

To come out on the other side of that gauntlet with a 10-7 record in second place in the SEC behind Glen Ridge—a team they almost beat in the opening game of the season before allowing the final six goals in a 12-11 loss—is an accomplishment, though they won't get any trophies for it.

"Our girls have a lot to be proud of," Dempsey said. "They knew they could play with anyone. They may not have beaten them, but they could play with anyone."

The strength of this year's team was in its offensive depth. There were so many different girls who could score and take control of the game. The leading scorers for the Cougars were seniors Melissa Carelli (44 goals, 18 assists) and Ginevra Czech (43 goals, 11 assists). But those totals could've been higher had it not been for three other seniors scoring double-digit goals and three underclassmen on the squad doing the same.

"It was great for me to watch that, but it was even better to celebrate it with them," Dempsey said of her team's scoring ability. "The coaching staff always knew they could do it. The players just had to believe."

Eight Cougar players were named to the first-ever All-SEC team, with Czech, Carelli, Michela Galante and Samantha Storch snagging first team honors, Brooke Norman, Allie Mousseau and Becca Frankoski earning second team and Olivia Mangan and Grace Lambert receiving honorable mentions. Czech won first team honors in the NJIGLL, while Carelli and Galante were selected to the second team.

In addition, and perhaps even more impressive, was the fact the Cougar girls had four academic All-Americans, which included Carelli, Czech, Galante and Maggie Richardson. To qualify as an academic All-America, the athlete must be a starter of significance, hold at least a 3.6 GPA in honors or A.P. level courses and have extra-curricular activities outside of the sport.

But with all of the awards and honors and the record well above .500, this season was not without some disappointment for the Cougar girls.

Their postseason run ended in the second round, in a 19-13 loss to eventual sectional finalist, Bridgewater-Raritan. It was the team's first time in two years to not reach the semis.

One of the highlights of the year for the girls was reaching the county finals against West Essex. But in the finals, the girls came up short, losing 11-8. The two teams met in conference play four days later at Underhill, and Columbia came away with the win, 11-9, feeling that it had something to prove.

"The Kent Place loss was disappointing. The West Essex loss was frustrating because we knew it, the girls knew it and West Essex knew that they got one over on us," Dempsey said. "We gave it away."

The loss of the Cougars' eight senior girls will leave holes practically all over the field. They're losing their entire defense, two midfielders and two attackers. There will certainly be lots of spots open for underclassmen to fill. Important returnees include Storch in the net, Olivia Mangan, Meredith Crane and Maggie Richardson.

"There's no doubt about it, there's a huge hole we have to fill," Dempsey said. "We have good talent coming back, but now it comes down to game experience."

The division and competition will not get any easier next season, and with a lot of new players stepping into the fold getting their first serious varsity experience, this off-season will be a big key for the Cougars in determining how successful they will be.