Millstone girls have a season to remember
BY DOUG McKENZIE
Staff Writer

The Millstone third- and fourth-grade girls lacrosse team had plenty to celebrate this spring, as they rolled to a 31-0-1 record in impressive fashion.

When you're putting together a third- and fourth-grade team in any sport, the last thing you expect is perfection.

This holds especially true in a sport like lacrosse, which remains the fastest-growing sport in the state, but is also a new attraction for many youngsters.

"The third- and fourth-grade girls are an interesting bunch because most have never played before," said Mickey Boland, head coach of the Millstone third- and fourth-grade girls lacrosse team.

But even Boland didn't know just how interesting this season would turn out to be for the Millstone girls, as his squad rolled through the season like a well-oiled machine, playing to a nearly perfect 31-0-1 record.

"When the season began, we stressed three items: having fun, every team member scoring a goal and everyone playing both offense and defense," Boland said.

Needless to say, all of their goals were met, and then some.

The fourth season of Millstone girls lacrosse began in the gymnasium of the Millstone Middle School on March 1.

"Working in the gym is not fun but at this age, the team works on fundamentals - ground balls, passing and catching," Boland said. "As the weather got warmer, we moved outside and really started to hit our stride.

"After three scrimmages, we were ready to start the season. The first challenge to overcome was playing time. We had 20 young ladies and only seven are allowed on the field at once. When playing more than one opponent, we divided the team by alphabet. Letters A-L were one team, M-Z were the second. Suddenly the games were more manageable and the players excelled because they weren't being substituted as much. The alphabet teams were never an issue because every few games we played as an entire team when we just had one opponent."

It didn't take long for the Millstone girls to prove to their coach that they were destined for a special season.

"After a couple of early season victories, the team really banded together," Boland said. "Practices were filled with scrimmages and one lesson a night. Suddenly, we were halfway through the season and were playing very well."

Courtney Henig was the team's leading scorer, with Amanda Corso, Jamie Larkin, Megan Napp, Cassie Deluca and Maura McNutt also leading the way.

"Courtney's excellent play required an ID as the opposition kept asking her age," Boland said. "Her play all year was consistently superb."

But scoring wasn't as important as the team's ability to dominate their opponents with ball control.

"We were the best at the battle of the ground balls," Boland said. "Ariana Catalano, Nathalia Benefield, Alexa Scudillo, Julie Maltz, Danielle Zahn, Kimberly Iuzzulino and Nikolette Rizzo set the pace in this important category."

Boland was also impressed with how quickly the girls excelled as the pass-and-catch game.

"Amanda DeMonte and Shaelyn O'Leary were consistently settling our team down," he said. "Sarah Gulubier was a menace around the net, while Julie Munoz scrapped her way to loose balls every game."

Defensively, the Millstone girls were just as impressive.

"Our defense was stifling because it was spearheaded by Christiana Miller, Nikki Pappas, Lauren Munoz and Katheryn Corso," the coach said.

As the end of the year approached, the girls were taking the field expecting to win every game. Against Rumson, the team fell behind early, 5-2, but roared back with an 11-6 victory.

"This was a turning point because our team had to dig down to gut out the win," Boland said.

The final week included a tournament in which Millstone allowed only two goals in four games. They closed out the year with exhilarating victory over West Windsor.

"I cannot tell you just how proud I am of this team - 19 players on a team that fields seven is a lot to ask," Boland said.

"[Their] unselfish play, excellent passing, moving without the ball, tremendous catching and always important domination of the ground balls was a privilege to watch."