Girls' Lacrosse is Gunning for Watkins Mill’s First-Ever Banner

With a core of savvy seniors bolstered by an unusually talented crop of freshmen, the Watkins Mill girls’ lacrosse team taking the field tonight against Northwood is top-to-bottom the most primed and potent squad in more than a decade.

Their confidence brimming after the promising start—an 8-6 win over Seneca Valley last Tuesday followed by a 12-8 win at Wheaton on Saturday—the team’s prospects will come into clearer focus over the next two days, with tonight’s home game at 7 followed by a litmus test Wednesday night at Northwest, Coach Vinnie Naylor’s self-described “nemesis.”

But already, the team is abuzz with talk of claiming the first division title in school history.

“It’s an excitement,” said Naylor, who’s in his 12th year as coach. “What I’ve been trying to get here is that fever, and I think it’s starting. The fire is there, it’s the embers burning.”

The campaign started with an unprecedented off-season commitment that included fall ball, two runs of indoor club games and tournaments in Westminster, Md. and Gettysburg, Pa. That helped the veteran core—led by Stephanie Martinez, Sara Labriny and Helena Hernandez on offense, with Christine Pellack anchoring the defense—bring the Lady ‘Rines into an early sync. In years past, Naylor has had to spend much of the preseason building up basic stick skills, but the off-season work freed him up to focus on plays, formations and strategies.

It has manifested in more than just the technical aspects. The team is vibing far better than Martinez has seen in any of her previous three seasons.

“Every single year it’s been getting more and more, and this year finally we got all together,” she said after the win over Seneca Valley. “It’s our first game and we had so much chemistry on the field. It’s amazing to see how we grew as a squad, and it’s just the beginning of the season.”

The biggest question mark comes in the crease, after veteran net-minder Melody Anderson blew out her knee a week before the season started. Sydney Williams—normally a defender— and freshman Jillian Gardner have split time in the goal.

The defense is solid, Naylor said, but does need some shoring up. Offensively, the pieces are well in place.

With a slew of capable midfielders, Naylor can run two shifts while barely losing a beat. And this season’s biggest tactical change is already paying dividends: moving Martinez from midfield up to attack.

“Last year she’d run like crazy, get exhausted and then wouldn’t have anything left on the offensive end,” Naylor said. “Now she’s much stronger; she’s got the wherewithal and stamina.”

That move came to bear in the season-opener against Seneca Valley. With Watkins Mill leading 3-1 lead at the break, the game opened up in a flurry of goals. Martinez seized the second half, commanding long offensive possessions, feeding teammates for three goals and picking crucial times to net two of her own. The first came 40 seconds after a teammate’s score to give Watkins Mill a 7-3 lead. Her second goal struck a deflating blow after Seneca Valley scored to make it 7-4 with 9:41 left to play. Martinez controlled the ensuing face-off, raced past a handful of defenders, streaked across the goalmouth and calmly slotted her shot into the lower corner.

Martinez’s four goals are second most on the team so far, followed by fellow seniors Millie Pryphun and Sarah Labriny with three goals each.

No one is flourishing more than freshman attacker Alexis Rusnak. She scored all three of Watkins Mill’s first-half goals against Seneca Valley before adding another in the second half, then netted a team-high three goals Saturday against Wheaton.

Already, she’s shown the makings of a long and fruitful career at Watkins Mill, Naylor said—and possibly beyond.

“If she really pushes it and goes hard, she could definitely do something that would go Division I,” he said. “If she commits to it and really, really wants to do it.”

Game Recaps 

Watkins Mill 8 - Seneca Valley 6 (March 22)

• Alexis Rusnak 4 goals, 1 assist
• Stephanie Martinez 2 goals, 3 assists
• Millie Pryphun 2 goals
• Sarah Labriny 2 assists
• Sarah Jane Campbell 1 assist
• Abby Young 1 assist

Watkins Mill 12 - Wheaton 8 (March 26)

• Alexis Rusnak 3 goals
• Sarah Labriny 3 goals
• Stephanie Martinez 2 goals
• Kaylor Ficklin 2 goals, 1 assist
• Helena Hernandez 1 goal, 1 assist
• Millie Pryphun 1 goal