Two girls lacrosse teams in the town have different sets of goals.
One team is looking to defend its Section 2 Class A title, while the other is looking to climb out of the bottom of the Suburban Council.
Here is a closer look at defending champion Shaker and a rebuilding Colonie squad.
Shaker
The Blue Bison have won two of the last three Section 2 championships, but they’ll need other players to step up this year after graduating their top three scorers and the starting goaltender.
“I think a lot of people are talking about how we lost our stars,” said Shaker coach Kara DePaula Lynch. “We did lose our stars, but we return the majority of our starters from last year.”
Shaker may not have someone who can score close to 100 goals in a season as it did last year with Julia Lennon, but it does have several players who are capable of scoring goals, starting with senior Kailyn Hart and sophomore Maeve Lennon. Hart was the third-leading scorer last year behind Julia Lennon and Sarah Cheney, while Maeve Lennon was a key contributor.
“We do have a very strong team,” said DePaula Lynch. “We just don’t have any superstars, but in my opinion, some of the greatest teams in the world don’t have any superstars.”
Neither Hart nor Maeve Lennon is looking to achieve what Julia Lennon did last year, when she scored more than 90 goals. They both said they want to work as part of a collective unit.
“You’ve got to play like a team and not just as an individual,” said Hart. “I know I’ve got to step up … into shoes that are going to be kind of hard to fill. But we’ve been stressing to the younger girls that they are good, and they can step up this year.”
“I definitely want to get goals, but I also want to get assists,” said Maeve Lennon. “I don’t see myself as doing specifically one (thing). I hope to do both.”
The other major hole to fill is in goal following the graduation of two-year starter Julia Maloney. DePaula Lynch said she has confidence in sophomore Emily Polcinello, who saw limited playing time during the late part of the season, mainly in mop-up duty when the game was well in hand.
“She got to work with Julia (Maloney) a little, but she’s worked hard during the off-season and she’s improved,” said DePaula Lynch.
Shaker begins its season April 2 against defending Section 2 Class B champion Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake.
“I think there’s going to be a little more parity in the Suburban Council in general,” said DePaula Lynch. “Bethlehem looks strong this year, and Niskayuna looks strong. But I look at every team, and I adjust my strategy for every game. If I do my job and (my players) do their job, I think we’ll be very tough to beat.”
Colonie
Meanwhile, the Garnet Raiders are hoping to finally move out of the bottom part of the league standings with a young group of hard-working players.
“I think for us, it’s going to be another rebuilding year,” said Colonie coach Allison Anaya. “But as far as I’ve seen from the first week of practice, the chemistry is there.”
Colonie has 10 players back from last year including midfielder Briela Tollisen, goaltender Sarah Lester and attacker Abby Montuori. The other half of the 20-man roster consists of a young group Anaya describes as “raw.”
“A lot of them have been working during the off-season, playing fall ball and playing indoors throughout the winter,” said Anaya. “All of that work shows (in practice).”
Colonie begins its season April 2 against Columbia.
