Sports

Lady Rebels Look Ready to Strike

Howell lacrosse looking to make an impact in tough A North field

When it comes to the A North Division, there is no such thing as an easy game or a light schedule. And for the Howell Lady Rebel lacrosse team, the upcoming spring season will be no exception.

After going 5-5 in the division last year as part of a 7-10 overall season, the girls will be looking to improve on that this year with schools like Colts Neck and Freehold Township standing in their way. 

Fortunately for Coach Christina Nunez, while their goals will be difficult to attain, they have the experience needed to learn from the past and move forward. That starts with their senior class, including defenders Rebecca O'Neil and Alyssa Masino. 

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Playing the D-Wing positions will be Catherine Brown, Lauren Christie and Jenn Par, while Ryley High will be a returner at center. High and Christie are two of the highest leading scorers coming back from last year with Christie putting up 10 goals and six assists, while High had nine goals and 10 assists. 

The top leading scorer coming back from last year is junior Tara Benedetti. As just a sophomore, Benedetti had an impressive 15 goals but showed she was a balanced offensive player as she also tallied 11 assists. 

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Now as a junior Benedetti will share the attack position with classmate Alexa Masino as well as defenders Kaeleigh Christie and Mel Schaefer. Another key member of the junior class will be goalie Stephanie Lehner. Lehner is the top returning net minder from last year. With the squad last year she faced a daunting 485 shots and made 271 saves. She will now look to improve upon that in her junior year.

From the squad last year to this season, there are only two who were freshmen on the varsity roster that are back for a second go around. They are attackers Chynna Chan and Maria Madsen. Madsen did not let her rookie status stand in the way of an impressive first campaign as she put up nine goals and also pushed out nine assists. Chan meanwhile had a solid high school debut as she netted six goals while also picking up two assists. 

While those are the returning starters, there are also a few newcomers who could also make an impact on the team this year. That includes a trio of attacking juniors in Alyssa Aboff, Deanna Columbia and Cassie Petty. 

There are also three sophomores on the roster for the opening day of the season. They are Kelly Corrado, Brittany Hamilton and Amanda Mauro who will be looking to see where they will fit in on the field. 

Coach Nunez said the team will be looking to accomplish two main goals. The first is to topple neighboring Freehold Township when they meet this year. And hopefully as a part of that a division title will come with that success.

The season kicks off on Monday when the Lacey Lions come to town. They will start their division schedule the next day with a trip to Marlboro, before facing Manalapan at home on Thursday. 

Their first game against Freehold Township is set for April 12 when they will welcome their rivals to town before Colts Neck comes calling on April 16.


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