After missing the season a year ago due to COVID-19, Northwestern and Pleasant Valley will return both its girls and boys lacrosse teams to the field this year.

Among the four teams, there is one new head coach as Bob Vanderheyden will be in charge of the PV boys.

Following are previews on each team:

GIRLS

NORTHWESTERN

HIGH HOPES

... Third-year coach Lissa Opolsky has 27 players on this season’s roster. There is optimism that the Tigers will show improvement from their winless record in 2019, the school’s first girls season.

COMING BACK

... Opolsky will rely on the experience and leadership her senior group will bring. Defender Charlotte Horn has shown “great leadership by example,” according to her coach. She’s a physical player who can organize the backfield to help keep the ball out of the net. “Charlotte will do whatever it takes for us to help us compete,” said Opolsky. Senior midfielder Alexa Bleam brings speed to the Tiger attack and will be counted on in the transition game to move the ball from defense to offense. Tess Ledeboer, a three-sport starter, is athletic and has an awareness of the gameplan’s strategy.

MIX-AND-MATCH

... This year’s Tiger team will be versatile and flexible, with several players performing at multiple positions. Senior Alexandra Lister, a Division 2 basketball commit at Adelphi University, will play the attack and the midfield positions. Opolsky likes her aggressive offensive play, as well as her leadership on and off the field. Senior Bailey Scheffler will bring her physicality to both offensive and defensive areas on the field. Reagan Hernandez can also play the attack and defender positions.

DOUBLE TROUBLE

... Junior twin sisters Emilee and Sarah Schultz hope to provide double trouble against opponents’ defenses. “They are very similar in their style of play,” said Opolsky. “Emilee is an important scorer for us. She has good ball-handling skills and understands the game. Sarah, like her sister, is a patient player. She has good field awareness, and will slow down with the ball to get off a good shot.”

UNDERCLASS UNKNOWN

... The Tigers still have to decide who will see playing time from their sophomore and freshmen group. “We need more time on the practice field to see what they can do,” said Opolosky. “Right now, the rest of the roster is still unfolding.”

PIECE BY PIECE

... The Tigers are building their fledgling program each and every day. For the players new to lacrosse, understanding the game is key. Opolsky believes having multiple sport athletes will be an asset, and team chemistry will dictate the improvements she wants to see. “Obviously, we’ll look to win a game,” she said. ‘From there, we’ll just have to see how far we can go.”

PLEASANT VALLEY

STRONG FOUNDATION

... The Bears will field a roster of 25 this season after compiling a 14-4 record in 2019 and reaching the semifinals in both the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference and the District 11 playoffs. Coach Toni Bush enters her seventh campaign without the top scorer in the league and First Team EPC selection, Julianna Lopez, who has graduated along with goalkeeper Danni Reino. Lopez returns as a volunteer assistant coach.

FIELD GENERALS

... Three seniors will lead PV’s fortunes this season. Defender Lexi Walters is a three-year starter who is quick on the backline and “very coachable,” according to Bush. Summer Storm, who is enrolled in a Young Marines program, is a perfect choice to play the midfield position due to her strong endurance and solid stick work. “Summer has a great attitude, and is she’s a real good team player,” said Bush. Julia DeYoung “comes ready to play” as an attacker. “She has an innate ability to get herself into an advantageous position to keep the offense moving toward the opponent’s goal.”

HOT SHOTS

... Bush will rely on two accomplished juniors to lead the Bears’ scoring attack. Alexandra Bush - the only freshman to receive All-First Team EPC honors in 2019 - led the conference with 55 assists and added 68 goals to help her team win double-digit games. Bush calls Brielle McInaw “a huge asset” with her “incredible” speed. “Brielle has a strong shot, and she is tough to defend,” said Bush. Add aggressive freshman Riley Green to the offensive mix, and the Bears’ opponents could have difficulty in keeping the ball from striking the backs of their nets.

THE X-FACTOR

... Bush has “not seen enough” to decide who else will see field time from a group of four sophomores and 11 freshmen. She has tabbed junior Amanda Hayes as her “athletic” goalkeeper, and Kayla Charles to be a reliable defender on the back line with Lexi Walters. Freshman Cecilia Cordova will play some defense with her ability to use her stick to check rushing attackers away from the Bears’ goal.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE

... Over half of the roster has not played a single lacrosse game, so Bush will count on leadership from her upper class to help a young team gain experience. Like any coach, she would like to see her team qualify for the playoffs, but that challenge has been made more difficult by the revised Bears’ schedule. “We have 13 scheduled games, and all are in our strong conference because of COVID travel limitations,” said Bush. “We are the only Monroe County team. We will see tough competition every time we play.”

TIME WILL TELL

... Bush’s vision of her team is not all about wins and losses. “I really don’t know what to expect,” she said. “This is a building year for us, and we have to learn how to play as a unit.” Putting everything into perspective, Bush mentioned the No. 1 priority. “Let’s not forget we missed all of last season. The most important thing is to go play and have fun.”

BOYS

NORTHWESTERN

FULL ROSTER

... Third-year coach Marcus Janda is excited about a solid roster of 35 players that he hopes will improve upon the Tigers’ 2019 record of 6-10. Gone from that team is captain and scoring leader Zach Rosamilia, who will continue his career at Widener University. Also departing are attackman Jake Dolansky and goalkeeper Owen Moloney, who will stay on as a coaching assistant this season.

VETS ARE SET

... Despite the program’s existence of just three years, the Tigers return a group of veteran starters. Senior Reed Conrey, a Canisius College commit for next year, comes off the gridiron as a linebacker to be the rock of NW’s defense. “Reed is big, fast, and tenacious,” said Janda. “He has excellent footwork, and is a great communicator.”

Helping Conrey at the back end will be senior Owen Coffield, a three-year starter and multiple sport athlete who Janda said is another big body and a “very physical athlete.” Goalkeeper Daniel Fenstermacher has minded the Tiger net for three years. “Daniel has a natural ball-stopping ability with very quick hands.”

LAX ATTACK

... An All-District 11 selection in 2019 as a freshman, Taylor Wikert swings a bigger stick, one usually designed for defenders because he runs the whole field. “He never gets tired, which makes him a perfect midfielder,” said Janda. “Taylor is very skilled in the transition game to get us more scoring opportunities.” Junior Drew Sabo is “a complete offensive weapon,” according to Janda, and will bring speed and the ability to finish shots from his midfield position. “He has great field vision and stick handling ability.” Central Catholic transfer Andrew Collins is an accomplished stick handler with great field vision who Janda calls “the quarterback of our offense.”

DEPTH CHART

... Janda calls sophomore offensive threat Cade Christopher, who played on the football team, the Tigers’ best athlete. Christopher and senior midfielder Kane Flickinger, a face off specialist, are expected to stretch the opponents’ defenses. Attackman Austin Sosnovik will also see playing time.

SCORE MORE

... Janda loves his defensive side of the field that should keep the Tigers close in all their games, but he believes the key to this season’s success is scoring more goals. “Our offense has to gel and come together and improve,” he said. “In our last season, we lost four games by one goal. We need to score more to get to the next level.”

HIGH-STICKING

... Speaking of the next level, the Tigers hope to take their lacrosse sticks to this year’s District 11 playoffs. “We won’t have a league championship to play for,” said Janda. “We’re independent because there aren’t enough teams in our area to form a legitimate league.”

With that in mind, the Tigers goal is a .500 record to reach the district tournament. “To rise to the top, we have to compete against the likes of Parkland, Emmaus, Easton, and Southern Lehigh. It’s hard to quantify wins and losses, but we’re excited to have the chance to reach our goals.”

PLEASANT VALLEY

NEW IN CHARGE

... First-year coach Bob Vanderheyden welcomes 20 laxmen to his 2021 roster. He brings years of experience from coaching at the collegiate and youth lacrosse levels.

DEFENSE! DEFENSE!

... Vanderheyden sees the defensive end of the field as a strength of his team. Senior captain EJ Iandol - a Hood College lacrosse commit - is the full package, according to his coach. “EJ is a leader with his style of play. He’s strong, aggressive, and a good stick handler. He will win the ball back in battles with opposing players.”

Senior, Aiden Coyle will be a long-sticker counted upon to win faceoffs. Sophomore Tucker Murphy is big and athletic, along with being a solid team player at the back end.

Freshman Sean Hallenbeck has flashed excellent stick skills. “Sean has been playing lacrosse since he was born,” said Vanderheyden. “He’s also a basketball player who brings great athleticism to our defense.”

STOP GAP

... The Bears will start defensive-minded midfielders to help the back end keep opponents out of their goal. Senior captain Laz Garcia is an “inspirational player” who has the ability to not only stop an attack, but gain possession and score on a breakaway. Junior Aaron Nonnemaker, an ROTC student, plays with discipline. Sophomore Colden Rother will run his soccer legs the length of the lacrosse field. “He’s adept at offense and defense, and has very high level lacrosse IQ.” Sophomore goalkeeper Ben Tomaszewski comes from the soccer net to anchor the defense. Vanderheyden understands the difficulty of the position. “In lacrosse, the fastest thing on the field is the ball. We have big expectations for Ben because we think he has the ability to be faster than the ball.”

TARGET SHOOTERS

... Vanderheyden will take on the offensive coordinator role for the Bears. He expects his scorers to include senior Jack Kaye, a second-year player who is “sneaky” with getting the ball around defenders. “We think Jack can be an assist leader for us, but he also has a pretty good shot.” Junior captain Ryan Blass comes from catching passes on the gridiron to catch and shoot on the lacrosse field. “Ryan has tremendous speed, and can get in close for good shots.” Sophomore Billy Power has been in the lax game since he was nine and is a well-known area club player. “He’s a face off winner with a good shot, and he and Ryan are solid together around the net.” Freshman Joey Brustein, another club player, is another face off winner who has shown a fast, outside shot.

TEAM FIRST

... Vanderheyden will let wins and losses be the result of the score at the end of the game, and admits that with his keen focus on the play-by-play action, he is not always aware of the score.

“Of course, we want to win, but my focus is on player development and coming together as a team. Being a first-year coach at PV, I have to have time to get used to my players. We’re a younger team, and the wins will come. First, and most important, is that we are grateful that we have a season to play.”