Seaford Girls Lacrosse Hopes to Rally from Last Year's Injuries

Unexpected injuries can derail even the best of seasons, as the girl’s lacrosse team can attest to.  Star sophomores Amelia Taylor and Meaghan Curley never picked up a stick last season, and without their punch up top, the Lady Vikings stumbled to an 8-8 record and missed the playoffs.

Now fully healed, and with a roster that has a fluid mix of youth, athleticism and leadership, Seaford is looking to not only get back into the playoffs, but to make an impact when they get there.

Despite last season’s disappointing outcome, head coach Kurt Dankenbrink has high expectations for his team, as they prepare for their first game on Thursday.

“Getting the two girls who missed the year with injuries is going to be a big boost for us,” he said. “We graduated one athlete, but we’re getting two back from injury alone, and they’ve both been starting since they were freshmen.”

Aside from their two injury returnees, the Lady Vikings will also welcome back the core of their team.  Senior co-captain Casey Palmer earned All-County accolades last season and will anchor the midfield, while fellow senior captain Danielle Rice will be in charge of putting the ball in the back of the cage.

In the back, the team will look exactly the same, as Seaford returns their entire defense, one of the strengths of last season’s team.  Jacklyn DelPozzo, Jessica Torrent and Lisa Robinson all return as starters for the third straight year.  Diana Rice will continue serving as the team’s goalie, where she has become a fixture over the last two years. 

Dankenbrink believes that his strong defense can serve as an incredible asset for the offense he wants to run.

“We’re going to be a run ‘n’ gun type of team,” he said. “We’re going to get the ball in the air and try to put the ball in the cage with our quick transitions… “Our strong defense is going to help us open the door on offense, and should lead to a lot of quick goals.”

While the Lady Vikings’ leadership and experience will serve them well all season, particularly in the playoffs, they also have a strong crop of underclassmen that they will be counting on to help them out.

“The majority of our kids are older, but we have some younger kids who we expect big things from,” said Dankenbrink. “[Freshman] Emma Shade has been on varsity since seventh grade, and she might be our top scorer.  We have four other kids who have been up since seventh grade, so we think they can be a factor now, and in the future.  If they come up, I’ll play them.”

The longer this unit plays together, the greater they can expect the expectations of them. After last season’s disappointing finish, anything short of a playoff berth will be considered a failure. Dankenbrink believes that the longer his girls play together, the better they will gel and become one strong, cohesive unit.

“Only six of the 11 teams in our conference will make the playoffs, so our first goal is to make it back to the playoffs,” he said. “We have some real powerhouses to compete with in Cold Spring Harbor, North Shore, Carle Place, and really everyone. But with all these kids returning, everyone is a year older and has a year more experience.  What a difference a year is going to make.”

Seaford opened the season with an impressive 15-9 non-league win at Lynbrook last Thursday in which Schait had five goals and Taylor registered four tallies. The Lady Vikings then fell to North Shore 16-5 on Saturday but bounced back two days later with an 18-9 victory at Plainview-JFK.

Seaford is next in action on Saturday at home against Carle Place with a 10 a.m. opening draw.