BURNT HILLS, NY — While the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Spartans girls’ lacrosse team may not have noticed the earthquake that shook much of the Capital Region as well as the Northeast, they certainly experienced an avalanche during the game – posting a dominant, 16-2 win at home, over Averill Park on Friday morning.
“I did not know that,” Spartans’ freshman midfielder Maggie Lescault said about the pregame seismic shifts with a startled laugh. “We did not feel that.”
The Spartans were coming off a season-opening, 14-4, loss to Queensbury, last Thursday – the same team that eliminated the group in last year’s Section 2 Class C final. Win No.1 is out of the way and the Spartans start 1-0 in Suburban Council play.
“We knew coming in it was gonna be a struggle because we played [Queensbury] last year and we lost to them in the Sectional and without our two starters, we have a whole different offense, and playing a team like that it was very hard and we knew going in, but it just kind of awakened us and it kind of was great to have them as our first game because we knew what we needed to work on going into practice,” Lescault, who scored three goals, with an assist, in Friday’s win, said.
“That’s why we scheduled [Queensbury] because they’re going to show us what we need to work on because they’re experienced and they’re good,” BHBL head coach Shawn Kline explained. “So, they kind of put us in our place and we can build up from there, which today I think we did. We did some things better and we’re getting there.”
It was also win No.1 for Kline. This offseason, previous head coach Katie Kerner turned over duties to Kline, due to taking on a new, full-time job.
Kline has been a part of the Spartans’ lacrosse program for the past six years and even has an eighth-grade daughter, Rylie, playing for the girls’ varsity team this year, who notched three goals and three assists on Friday. However, Kerner is still on the sidelines and in the huddle.
“It helps. She’s good with the girls and obviously, the girls know her and she knows the game, which is a huge part. It works good for us,” Kline said.
“I knew that coach [Kerner] couldn’t put the team first with her new job, which is amazing for her, and I think that coach Kline, he definitely has more experience and he’s been around so much longer, but I really love that she’s still here and they’re such a good team,” Lescault noted.
There’s certainly been some roster turnover for BHBL, as the top two seniors from last season, MK Lescault (Johns Hopkins) – Maggie’s older sister – and Ella Blesi (Syracuse) graduated to the NCAA Division-I level.
Yet, the Spartans seemed to work the kinks out in game two, with nine of the 16 goals coming off assists, and five players finishing with multiple scores.
“We definitely have a whole new offense now, without them, because we really valued them because they’re just so athletic and we just had a lot of [isolation] plays for them, but now, we’re including everybody,” Lescault said. “We kind of do a similar offense to (Johns) Hopkins now; we’re trying to do screens, cutting, and it’s so much more fun that way, I feel like, and it’s just really nice because it develops everybody and includes everybody in the offense and it’s really fun.”
“We’ve got a lot more people involved now, which is big. Last year, we could just get out of the way and let those two go. This year, everybody’s got to be a part of it and I think they’re doing a good job and I think they like it because they’re a little more involved. But, losing those two is tough, but we’re doing alright. We got some young ones that are pretty good,” Kline added.
Despite the graduation of the elder Lescault, the Spartans still sport a sister-sister duo creating havoc. Senior attacker Caroline Kogut and freshman midfielder Grace Kogut combined for five goals and four assists Friday.
“It’s so funny on the field, during practice, they’ll fight and it’s just like MK and I. I just laugh because I’m like, ‘Oh my god. I used to do the same thing and it’s just really fun to see like them developing together and growing as teammates and as players; definitely them being so good at field hockey and playing together in that, they’re just developing here more and it fits really well. They’re going great,” Lescault noted.
Spartans’ freshman goalie Isabella Yecies started the weekend on a high note, in a return from a concussion – denying seven Averill Park attempts and allowing a mere two goals, both in the third quarter, scored by freshman midfielder Abby Houser and senior Hannah Daly.
“Defensively, we just broke down on those it wasn’t even her fault. We can’t give up layups on the crease. So, she played well. I was impressed,” Kline remarked.
Next up for the Spartans will be another Suburban Council matchup on Tuesday, April 9, at Columbia, at 6 p.m. Lescault and Co. may be more on the lookout for any seismic activity but that’s not the only takeaway the Spartans have from a lopsided victory.
“I think that we definitely need to work more on our skills developing more, we definitely need to talk more on defense; it’s just everyday things that we’ll just get better at, as a team. Like team bonding, we are so good at. I feel a close connection with every single one on this team,” Lescault added. “I think that we just need to develop more on defense and on offense and it’s just the little things that we’ll just get and we’ll connect and overall, I can think we’ll make it pretty far and sectionals and I think we’re gonna do great.”
