Glen Cove’s Girls LAX Looks to Overcome Inexperience

After losing 10 seniors from last year's squad (10-2, just missed the playoffs), Glen Cove High School girls' varsity lacrosse coach Jacqueline Gow will be leaning on a crop of returning players to anchor a young club this season, starting with senior captains Brittany Baker (top defensive player), Samantha Basile (top offense player) and Chelsee Marks. 

Adding athleticism to the Big Red Covers is junior Heather Artinian, a legally deaf player who wears a cochlear implant. But, according to her coach, she's just another great athlete who doesn't let anything affect her play. 

"Think of playing on a basketball court, then going out into the rain and not being able to hear," Gow said of Artinian's ability to surmount adversity while on the lacrosse field. "We use hand signals to commutate with her.  You would never know she can't hear the way she handles herself.  She's an outstanding player." 

Rounding out the Glen Cove's attack is Jessica Andreotti, who Gow calls her "sleeper player" because of Andreotti's wiliness to learn and work hard, making the senior a potential weapon.  

Since her girls are inexperienced and the skill level has dropped off a bit from last season, Gow said, she will focus on the Big Red Covers' toughness and old fashion athletic ability to help them produce a winning record.  

"I think we will be athletic and physical, but our skills will be down," she said.  "I do expect them to go at least .500 if they can buy into the system."  

And a good part of her system will incorporate practices that will work on building endurance with hopes of developing a club that can utilize its superior stamina in order to balance out the typical mistakes a green squad makes.    

"We will be incredibly fit and fast," said Gow, who is entering her 13th season as the school's girls lacrosse coach.  "If they drop a ball, they can pick it up and go." 

However, the players' best asset is their intelligence —on the field and in the classroom— making it easier for Gow to teach them the fundamentals of the sport. Furthermore, their pursuit of higher education after high school is something that brings her enormous satisfaction. 

"I get so many smart girls," said Gow, who hails from Great Britain and played for its national lacrosse team.  "What I don't have in skill level, they get it after a while. It's not too bad. I pride myself that almost every kid I have goes to college, whether or not they play in college." 

Gow is realistic, yet optimistic when it comes to how far her young team will go this year, but she will have a better idea of what direction its heading in as the season progresses. 

"I would love to end up in the top four in our league," she said, "but I have to see how these young girls develop."