A Hurricanes girls lacrosse program is up and coming. Look no further than the team’s 6-5 record in its second year under coach Alex Pike.
It’s an improvement from the season before, when the team went 4-8. Having lost eight seniors following the 2021 season, including star goal scorer in Kaylee Stoky, this year’s team had several attackers who were able to put the ball in the back of the net.
“Every girl we had on offense could shoot to score. It was just a completely different game that we got to play, which was great,” Pike said. “We did a lot of shooting drills and built the girls’ confidence more than anything. They had the potential last year. It was just they needed the extra push to see they could do it themselves. Then they were scoring one after the other.”
Pike said the girls realized that they needed to take advantage of one-on-one situations.
“They took what they could get and they didn’t wait to be wide open and shoot,” she said.
Kicking off the season with a victory against Palmer Trinity, 6-5, the team battled tough in a loss against Westminster Christian, 6-2. Offense powered the Hurricanes past Coral Reef in its third game, 12-2.
The team secured wins against Gulliver Prep, Lourdes Academy, Palmer Trinity twice and Coral Reef twice. Pike said the game against Coral Reef was memorable.
“We had two of our freshmen score their first goal, which was amazing,” Pike said. “We had Christina Agostini, our lead defender, bring the ball down and score her first goal of her life. That was fun for her.”
Among the standout players on the Hurricanes lacrosse team was senior Ava Swanson, who Pike said was aggressive on and off the ball and a phenomenal shooter. Agostini, the senior captain, led the defense by shutting down opponents every game.
“We could put on her anybody. It didn’t matter who it was. They wouldn’t get the ball the rest of the game,” Pike said.
Junior Amelia Perchalski scored several hat tricks during the season. Pike said she really came into her own this year. Junior goalie Emily Murphy had a stellar season in between the pipes. Pike credited the team’s defense for strong play throughout the season. Pike was particularly excited with the play by starting sophomore defender Victoria Pena.
“She shut down girls left and right at her position,” she said. “It’s fun to see how far she’s come.”
The season came to an end on April 11 following a loss in the district tournament to Ransom Everglades. Pike said the program’s outlook is to win one more game than the year before and grow as a team.
“As long as we’re doing something every day that makes us better, we’re better off for it,” she said.
Pike’s coaching staff includes Courtney Caputo as goalie coach and Darryn Bahn as defensive coach. Pike said they organized a summer program for the girl’s lacrosse players so they could continue honing their skills. Pike said they team up with players from Key West.
“I was surprised that lacrosse was pretty much a spring sport down here,” said Pike, who played most of the year while in Orlando. “A lot of our girls are really interested in going to college to play. We want to give them that opportunity to play.”
