King Philip girls lacrosse was hoping to knock Franklin from atop the Hockomock League this spring.
Although the Warriors fell a notch, finishing third on a coin toss behind Mansfield (second) and Franklin (first), it still was a good season overall. The Warriors finished the regular season with an 11-6 record and lost to Mansfield, 18-12, in the first round of the Division 1 South Tournament.
“I’d definitely say it was a successful season, despite falling to Mansfield in the tournament,” KP coach Julie Pasquantonio said. “We’re obviously going to want more next year. Franklin and Mansfield are quality teams, but I feel we played them much tougher the second time around.”
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Though they lost to Mansfield in the tournament, the KP girls were able to dominate the Hornets during the second meeting of the season and walked away with a 17-9 win. The Franklin game was a different story (KP lost 10-7), but the team found itself improving against the Hock powerhouse.
“We knew that it was going to be a fight from the beginning, but we were able to close the gap between the top teams,” the coach said. “The Hockomock in general turned around this year, things got a lot closer.”
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The Warriors will be losing seven players to graduation, including tri-captains Cathryn Winslow, Kathryn Spencer and Giselle Unger. On the flip side of the coin, KP has some very talented athletes returning to the fold.
Coming back for another season with the Warriors LAX team will be Jenna Liljeberg, Olivia Fair and Kathryn Riley. While Fair and Riley were named to the Hockomock League All-Star squad, all three will be bestowed with the title of captain.
In addition to leadership, Pasquantonio will be looking for these three to regain their scoring abilities of the past season. Fair led the team with 107 overall points — including 62 goals — but it was Riley (106 points) who was the teams leading scorer with 67 goals. Liljeberg added 66 points.
According to the coach, all three play lacrosse year round and should improve, not to mention they’re going to want it that much more after losing to Mansfield. The goal will be nothing short of the Hock Championship.
Another returnee will be goaltender Chandler Ross, a focal point on the Warrior defense, who averaged close to 10 saves a contest and continues to improve.
KP will also have attacker Rachel Lomp back. The Warriors will look for Lomp to continue to distribute the ball and set up the KP offensive attack. Alicia Cuoco also returns after a rather successful inaugural season with KP. The now sophomore will patrol the midfield with a high skill set for the Warriors.