Sports Recap: Fox Lane Girls Lax Unbeaten; Good Start for Greeley Softball

Foxes nip Rebels

Last year’s Fox Lane’s girls lacrosse squad enjoyed a breakout season as it went to the state Class B finals.

This year it wanted to prove that trip to the finals was no fluke and so far it has with an 8-0 record. That record includes a 10-9 triumph against visiting Lakeland/Panas on April 20, a team that went to the state Class A finals a year ago.

Sammy Jo Tracy registered three goals and one assist, Kate Burbank scored three goals, Lindsay Toppe tallied two goals and an assist, Sydney Stern accumulated one goal and one assist, Kailey O’Hagan had one goal and Nellie Mitchell one assist for the Foxes against the Rebels.

“I have a lot of respect for Lakeland/Panas,” Toppe said. “They had big wins over John Jay and Yorktown. It definitely is a big win for us. It shows that we are a contender and that we have one of the top teams in the section. Last year people may have overlooked us or thought of us as the underdog.”

Toppe, who was named All-American a year ago, said what has helped this year’s squad stay unbeaten is the experience it got from last year’s run to the state finals.

“We had a very young team last year,” Toppe said. “We didn’t graduate many people. The majority of our starting offense, defense and midfield came back. Working with each other since last year definitely helped us because it has helped us continue to improve and become even more familiar with each other’s abilities. Because of that, we are more comfortable playing with each other.”

Against the Rebels, what helped the Foxes is that they really did a good job of defending and didn’t give them easy clears.

“That gave us more opportunities on offense,” said Toppe, who will play at Cornell University next season. “Sydney (Stern) did a great job of getting the draws, especially in the second half. That gave us more possessions on offense and more possessions leads to more goals.”

Fox Lane is currently enjoying a week off from games with its next game being at home at 4:15 p.m. Wednesday, April 27 against Horace Greeley.

Toppe said that will be good because it will allow everyone who isn’t to get healthy and be able to recuperate.

“We have to come back after the break with the same intensity and don’t let down, no matter who we are playing,” Toppe said. “We have to play everyone with the same intensity like we played Lakeland/Panas. So keeping up that same intensity is something that we have to do in order to keep winning.”

Greeley off to solid start

Horace’s Greeley’s softball squad has started off the season by winning four of its first five games.

“We have come together as a team defensively and offensively we really have pulled through," Greeley pitcher Jamie Weisser said. "I am hoping that we are going to keep getting better. So far we have been good enough to win most of our games.”

Greeley won its fourth game of the year, an 8-2 triumph against visiting Rye on April 15, with the key being jumping out to a 3-0 lead.

“It’s huge,” Weisser said. “When your team gives you a lead like that, it’s makes you more comfortable on the mound. Every time you have the chance to take the lead, you have to take advantage of it and that’s what we did against Rye.”

What the Quakers will do now is come back from their long break and try to stay sharp.

“We are having our first practice today (April 20) and we will have two more practices before our first game back so I am hoping those practices will prevent us from coming back flat,” said Weisser, who is 3-0 on the mound. “After a long break between games, you do tend to get rusty. Hopefully that won’t happen to us.”

They especially don’t want it to happen because their next two games are against rival Fox Lane (4-1), Tuesday, April 26 at Greeley and Thursday, April 28 at Fox Lane. Both games are at 4:30 p.m.

“I am really looking forward to those games,” Weisser said. “I know a bunch of girls on that team. I think the key to winning both games will be containing their lineup, which is strong. As a pitcher, I have to be able to shut them down and we just need our defense to come together. I think that’s going to be a huge deal in these two games.”