CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The lacrosse season is in full swing as some of the top girls teams in the area from last season look to return to their winning ways in 2014. Medina made it to the Division I state semifinals last season, while Chagrin Falls and Hathaway Brown both made appearances in the Division II state semifinals.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The lacrosse season is in full swing as some of the top girls teams in the area from last season look to return to their winning ways in 2014.
Medina made it to the Division I state semifinals last season, while Chagrin Falls and Hathaway Brown both made appearances in the Division II state semifinals.
Get a taste of how some of the big name schools in girls lax are faring so far and what schools could be up-and-coming contenders for the state playoffs.
DIVISION I STORYLINES
Medina hopes to get back to states
Medina's 2013 season concluded with a 10-3 loss to Sycamore in the state semifinals, ending the Bees' streak of three consecutive state championships from 2010 to 2012.
The loss was also the first and only one coach Amanda Wilson's team suffered all season. The team finished with an overall record of 14-1-2.
Medina was the only local Division I team to make the state semifinals last season.
The Bees lost some of their most valuable players from last year, including senior captains Amanda Getto, Megan Wolfgang, who led the team in ground balls last season, and Seirra Thomas.
The team only has three seniors this year in Katherine Grenfell, Elena Schorr and Amanda Rom. Schorr led the team in assists when she was just a sophomore and Rom earned the Most Improved Player award last year.
Medina is no stranger to turning to younger players for production on the field. Ally Villeneuve and Sarah Vanadia both started as freshmen last season.
Coming off a 13-7 win against Mason to begin the season, followed by a 7-2 defeat of Magnificat, Medina will enter its upcoming matchup against Cleveland Heights on Thursday with a bit of momentum.
Magnificat returns eight seniors, off to another slow start
The Blue Streaks concluded their 2013 season with a heartbreaking, 9-8, loss to Massillon Jackson in the Division I regional finals.
Magnificat went 14-5 in 2013 and has eight seniors back from that team. Those seniors are Colleen Malloy, Heidi Danckers, Caroline Coughlin, Alyvia Wilkins, Valeria Tkacik, Cailyn Ward, Christine Samanich and Maddison Cintron.
So far, however, the Blue Streaks' veteran roster is struggling to rack up wins. The Blue Streaks have dropped three of their first four contests this season, including losses to Medina, 7-2, Hudson, 8-6, and Chagrin Falls, 14-9.
Maginificat's win came on Thursday against Cleveland Heights, 7-1. Last season, the Blue Streaks defeated the Tigers, 13-10, in overtime to propel the team to the regional finals.
Now, anyone who followed the team last season knows Magnificat started the 2013 season 1-3 as well and then went on to only lose two more games the entire year. This means it's probably still too early for Blue Streak fans to start feeling anxious.
DIVISION II STORYLINES
Kenston Bombers off to strong start against strong opposition
Kenston has already showed its might this year, beating three of the four Division I opponents the Bombers have faced.
Those wins came against Shaker Heights, 10-9, Brecksville, 14-3, and most recently against Mentor, 12-8, on Monday.
Kenston has eight seniors at the team's disposal -- Samantha DiSanto, Danielle Lukes, Kendal Bodlack, Megan Lyons, Sarah Newcomb, Katelyn Gillday, Marion Margaret Brosko and Eleni Bruzik.
The Bombers went 12-5-1 last season, losing to Olentangy, 13-12, in a bid to make the Division II regional finals.
Kenston will look to improve on its 6-1 record against winless Lake Catholic at 6:30 p.m. today on the Bombers' home field. The team will take on crosstown-rival Chagrin Falls on Thursday.
Fourteen is a magic number for Chagrin Falls thus far
Coming off of a 16-3 season and a trip to the Division II state semifinals last season, the Chagrin Falls Tigers are off to a 3-0 start this year and keeping things consistent in the process.
The team scored 14 goals in each of its first three victories.
Chagrin Falls started the season with a 14-9 win against Rocky River this past Wednesday and then went on to beat Division I Hudson in overtime, 14-13, three days later.
The Tigers will enter their Thursday matchup against Kenston fresh off of 14-9 win against Maginificat, another Division I opponent, on Monday.
INSIDE ROLL PODCAST WITH HATHAWAY BROWN COACH
Be sure to leave your questions for the third installment of the Inside Roll Podcast, which will go live on Thursday. This week's guest is Hathaway Brown coach Meghan Brennan.
Brennan's Blazers compiled a 12-7 record last season, earning the team a trip to the Division II state semifinals.
Hathaway Brown dropped its first two games of this season and will look for its first win against Magnificat on Thursday.
AT A GLANCE
Hudson made a statement when the Explorers defeated Magnificat, 8-6, in the team's season-opener. Jackie Kisthardt tallied four goals for the Explorers in the game.
While the Blue Streaks made it to the Division I regional finals last season, the Explorers took a first round playoff exit courtesy of a 12-8 loss to Shaker Heights. The Explorers finished the 2013 season with a 7-10 record.
After a 14-13 overtime loss to Chagrin Falls on Saturday, Hudson will hope to bounce back against Massillon Jackson today at 5:30 p.m.
Contact high school sports reporter Robert Rozboril by email (rrozboril@cleveland.com), Twitter (@rrozboril) or Facebook (www.facebook.com/rrozboril). Or log in and leave a message in the comments section below.