Kennett handles Collegium Charter, as both teams enjoy long-awaited return to action
KENNETT SQUARE >> Never mind the score. Friday was warm and sunny, and other than a fiercely blowing wind, it was a perfect setting to get back to high school girls lacrosse for the first time since 2019.
“It’s not cold anymore, so the girls are just glad to get out and play,” said Collegium Charter head coach Sherry Pryor.
“We are blessed every day we have practice or a contest,” added Kennett coach Lisa Daugherty. “We are appreciating the opportunities we have every day.”
The Blue Demons opened the season with a dominating 26-1 win over the visiting Cougars at Legacy Field, but there was palpable optimism all around that things may be getting back to some normalcy following a 2020 season that was cancelled due to COVID-19.
“I was looking forward to playing in competitive games as a freshman, so I was real disappointed when the season was cancelled,” said Kennett sophomore Bridget Wells. “This year things are starting to get back to normal a bit. I am just happy to be back on the field.”
It was the first high school outing for all of the sophomores and freshmen on the field, which meant the debut for a dozen players on the Demons’ 21-player roster. Wells and fellow sophomore Makayla Kelly each scored five goals to lead Kennett, and a third sophomore, Jordyn MacMillan, chipped in with three goals.
The Demons have just two returning starters from ’19 in senior Emma Schwarz and junior Vivian Chiomento, and the two combined to add seven goals and four assists for Kennett.
“All of the rest are sophomores or freshmen,” Daugherty pointed out. “But overall most of them are seasoned lacrosse players who have played on travel teams.”
With a strong wind at their backs, the Demons scored the first 10 goals in the opening 12 minutes of action, necessitating a running clock the rest of the way. It was 17-0 at the break.
“This was more of a game to work on teamwork and plays, and getting used to playing together after having so much time off,” Wells said.
“Our goal today was to work on some of our offenses and our defensive strategies,” Daugherty added. “I wanted them to get used to playing with one another, have a nice offensive flow and work on some plays we’ve added.”
With the wind advantage, Collegium Charter ended the shutout when sophomore Kelsey Miller scored to open the second half, but Kennett notched the final nine goals in a row. Senior Elle Matthews and sophomore Megan Ward each finished with two goals for the Demons, and junior Lara Rao chipped in with a goal and three assists.
“The girls are definitely motivated and driven. This is a very optimistic group of girls,” Daugherty said.
“We used a mix of different people coming in and out. I think we did fair – I’d probably give them a ‘C.’ The ball needs to move faster, their bodies need to move faster and things need to be more solidified.”
In all, Kennett auditioned five players on draw controls and they all did well.
“If you have a game where you are not winning the draw, I would do anything to get that draw. So we like to slide people in and out throughout the season to see who is successful,” Daugherty said.
For the Cougars, it was another chance to play up against Ches-Mont foes. On Tuesday, Collegium Charter – which competes in the Bicentennial Athletic League — scrimmaged Oxford.
“We showed some improvement from Tuesday,” Pryor said. “Today we saw what we need to work on defensively. It’s hard to play a game like this. It is demoralizing for the girls but we are trying to focus on what we need to work on.
“We have a lot of freshmen and girls who haven’t played lacrosse before, so you can always take something away from a game. Plus COVID really cut down on our numbers and we had some seniors that didn’t return.”
Kennett 26, Collegium Charter 1
Collegium Charter 0 1 – 1
Kennett 17 9 – 26
Kennett goals: Wells 5, MacMillan 3, Kelly 5, Schwarz 3, Chiomento 4, Rao, Burns, E. Matthews 2, Ward 2.
Collegium Charter goal: Miller.
Goalie saves: Odida (CC) 14, Snoke (K) 0, McCracken (K) 0.
