All-Area Girls Lacrosse: Talent level is fast rising

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BY Dan Stickradt
Jul 17 2010

 

BY DAN STICKRADT

SENIOR EDITOR

dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com

 

It was less than a decade ago that only a small handful of schools in the entire Oakland Activities Association offered lacrosse, boys or girls. In fact, across Oakland County, which features nearly 70 high schools and has a grand history of athletics success in all sports across the board, most schools did not have lacrosse on their radar even in the 1990s.

Over the past decade, that has changed.

Each school year, more and more schools are adding it at least as a club sport with more to follow in the years to come. Oxford offered girls lacrosse as a club this past year, with several others starting varsity teams since 2000. There is discussion in the league, county and even in parts of the state where schools are looking into the demand of lacrosse, giving students another option for a spring sport.

Within the growth of teams, the talent level has also shot up during this period. There are more club teams, camps, clinics and better coaching throughout not just the area, but the entire state. Schools that did not have teams a few years ago now have experienced players coming up through their young programs and some players are even finding their way onto Division I, Division II or Division III college rosters, some with scholarship funding.

In the media, lacrosse is starting to gather much more acceptance and coverage, much to what soccer went through during the past three decades. Each year there is a little more.

That leads us to the first www.northoaklandsports.com 2010 All-Area Girls Lacrosse Team, as selected by staff in conjunction with area coaches. The first team features 17 players that put together fine campaigns over the course of the spring season. Rochester High’s Dave Hamel was selected as Coach of the Year after leading the program to its first-ever conference title.

FIRST TEAM

Attack

JODIE PARKER, Lake Orion: This three-year starter departs as the program’s all-time leading goal scorer with 123 tallies in the span. This year the All-OAA White honoree rang up 55 goals and 10 assists to leading the Dragons in scoring. She had one seven-goal game and netted six goals in a contest three times during her career. She signed with Division II Grand Valley State.

“Jodie had a nose for the goal and could score with both hands,” said coach Bill Booth. “She has led Lake Orion in scoring in each of her three years of the program. She will be missed.”

JENNIFER KUZNIA, Rochester: Despite missing four games due to an injury, Kuznia was quite effective in the Falcons’ attack. The All-OAA White Division selection collected 24 goals in 12 games (2.0 per contest), and that included games of six and five goals. She committed only five turnovers up top despite being a regular in the offensive end. Defensively, she also fielded 47 ground balls and caused eight turnovers. The senior is considering Urbana (Ohio) College and Central Michigan.

“Jennifer is an excellent athlete,” said coach Dave Hamel. “She’s one of those players who is quick to the ball and has a good shot. She made excellent strides in her career to become a better player.”

EMILY RAYMOND, Troy: This senior wreaked havoc on opposing team’s defenders and goalkeepers all season, registering an area-leading 62 goals with 25 assists en route to All-State Honorable Mention honors in Division 1. Also an All-OAA Red Division honoree, Raymond led her team to a runner-up league finish and to the regional finals. The four-year varsity veteran is considering college playing options.

“She was a threat (to score) every time the ball was in her (web),” said coach Liz Waters. “She’s one of the (all-time) leading scorers that I know of in our program, at least since I’ve been here. She scored on everybody. We will definitely miss her next season.”

STEPHANIE DELLINGER, Clarkston: This junior earned All-OAA White Division status after finishing as one of the top goal scorers in the entire OAA.

BRIANNA JOHNSON, Rochester United: Although United lost several close games this season, Johnson was still a threat. The All-OAA White Division honoree was among the top offensive players in the OAA this season.

Midfielders

RONNIE BOOTH, Lake Orion: Booth was the Dragons’ engine in the middle of the field and her numbers show her versatility. She finished with 34 goals and four assists, and won 115 draws in her third season as a starter. The junior has already chalked up 83 careers goals and 170 draws.

“Ronnie is an aggressive offensive and defensive player,” said Coach Booth. “When Lake Orin needs someone to make a play, she takes charge. She can break down a defense while going to goal, almost at will.”

KRISTEN SORIEDE, Troy: A junior, Soreide finished second on the team in scoring, racking up 35 tallies, and was also a force on defense with 66 draw controls. She was named to the All-State Second Team in Division 1.

“Kristen was one of our leaders,” said Waters. “She was one of the players that made things happen. She scored goals, had assists, controlled the ball. We at least have her for another year. She’s going to have to step up even more next season because we are losing some good offensive players (to graduation).”

SARAH MATTINGLY, Rochester: Omitted from the all-state lists, Mattingly routinely struck fear into the opposition and often drew the respect of the opposition.  The senior departs Rochester, where she hold numerous program records. Headed for Michigan State, Mattingly had 47 goals and three assists, and scored four or more goals in five games this season and had seven total hat tricks. She also collected 46 ground balls, caused 34 turnovers, had 14 draw controls to earn All-OAA White Division honors. In her career, she picked up 113 goals and 123 total points, and had back-to-back seasons with 47 goals, all which are program records.

“She runs with the ball better than anyone else we had and is the best finisher we’ve had,” said Hamel. “She meant a lot to our program. We wouldn’t be where we are without her. She has set the bar high at Rochester.”

ANGELINE MEITZLER, Troy Athens: The senior led the Red Hawks in scoring out of the midfield, firing in 41 goals with 15 assists. The four-year starter, who was named All-State Honorable Mention in Division 1, spent a lot of time with the ball this season and her 56 total points saw her involved in over half of her team’s scoring.

“Whenever Angela had the ball, she gave us a chance to score. She had a good shot and was good at finding the right teammate,” said coach Rob Holder. “She really sees the field well and she really reads the game, which is why she has a lot of points.”

PAIGE MONTANA, Troy Athens: The second half of the Red Hawks’ fine midfield duo, Montana was also a fine scoring threat, as she scored 40 times with six helpers. Named to the all-conference squad, the senior scored over 60 goals in her two years as a starter.

“Paige’s first step is what makes her dangerous, because she is very quick and can get by people,” said Holder. “She’s a solid finisher within 10-15 yards and she worked really well with (Meitzler). Those two scored a bulk of our goals this year.”

LAUREN SHARKEY, Clarkston: Sharkey earned all-league honors after finishing among her team’s scoring leaders this season.

 

JESSICA DENTON, Troy: A junior, Denton helped hold down the fort in the midfield for the Colts and was quite effective. She finished with 37 goals and had 36 ball controls and 48 ground balls. She was named all-conference and All-State Honorable Mention.

 

“Jessica is one of those players who has fine offensive skills, but I really liked how she picked it up on defense and became a complete player this year,” said Waters. “She’ll be expected to be one of our leaders next year.”

 

MADDIE READER, Rochester United: The other player from United to garner all-league status, Reader was another top offensive threat for her team this season.

Defensemen

JORDIN PARDOSKI, Rochester: Only a sophomore, Pardoski was another valuable asset in the Falcons’ run to their first league title. A shut down defender who frustrates opposing team’s top attacking players, Pardoski was versatile enough to get caught up in the attack as well, collecting a rare 11 goals as a defensemen. She also scooped up 70 ground balls, forced 28 turnovers with 35 draw controls to earn All-OAA White Division honors.

“She’s only a sophomore and she had a great year. You look at her stats and 11 goals as a defensemen is amazing,” said Hamel. “Plus she is very aggressive. She picked up a ton of ground balls and caused a lot of turnovers this year. She plays with such passion. I can’t wait to see what she does in the future.”

KATHRYN WELLEIN, Troy Athens: This third-year player was another stay at-home defender who became a thorn in the side of the opposite team’s offensive schemes.  She was named to the All-OAA Red Division.

“Kathryn has the ability to cover a lot of ground, which makes her a solid player,” said Holder. “We were down a little this year and young, but we knew that we would get a solid game form her.”

KATHY MAHER-EDGIN, Troy: This junior played on the wing in the Colts’ backfield and the sparkplug was a simple pest, always getting in the way of the other team’s top attackers. The All-OAA Red Division selection was among the team leaders in forced turnovers and was often assigned to the opposition’s top player.

“She’s just really solid,” said Waters. “She was always coming out of the pile ups with the ball on defense.

Goalkeeper

LINDSAY BUTTERFIELD, Lindsay Butterfield: This senior will play on the club team at Western Michigan next spring, but not before her encore prep season saw her emerge as one of the top goalkeepers in Oakland County. She finished with 170 saves and a .520 save percentage this season and posted a 7-6-2 record this season, the team’s first winning campaign in the program’s four-year history. She also posted a .560 career save-percentage, recorded a game with 23 saves and had 498 career saves among her numerous school records.

“Lindsay is the defensive leader for Lake Orion,” said Booth. “Her teammates respect her ability to see the whole field and direct traffic. She is very competitive and wears her bruises with pride.” 

COACH OF THE YEAR

DAVE HAMEL, Rochester: This was the third season since Rochester High split off from Rochester United, and this was the first time not only has a Rochester-based girls program finished above five-hundred, but also the first time a school was won a league title. Rochester finished 3-0-1 in the OAA White Division to win the conference crown. The Falcons also finished a school record 12-3-1 before a loss to state powerhouse Bloomfield Hills Sacred Heart in the Division 2 regionals ended their season.

“We had seven seniors and it was nice for them to see their hard work pay off and experience the type of season we did,” said Hamel. “We had a bunch of great athletes and hard-working girls who made this season a lot of fun. We were not a top-10 team in the state. We still have a ways to go there. But we made incredible strides this season.”

 

ALL-AREA GIRLS LACROSSE TEAM 2010

 

Attack

Jodi Parker               Lake Orion

Emily Raymond             Troy

Stephanie Dellinger        Clarkston

Jennifer Kuznia            Rochester

Brianna Johnson            Rochester United

 

Midfielders

Kristin Soriede           Troy

Sarah Mattingly            Rochester

Ronnie Booth               Lake Orion

Angeline Meitzler         Troy Athens

Paige Montana             Troy Athens

Lauren Sharkey             Clarkston

Jessica Denton             Troy

Maddie Reader              Rochester United

 

Defensemen

Jordin Pardoski            Rochester

Kathryn Wellein           Troy Athens

Kathy Maher-Edgin          Troy

 

Goalkeepers

Lindsay Butterfield       Lake Orion

 

COACH OF THE YEAR

Dave Hamel                Rochester

 

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Clarkston: Andrea Kovacic, Katherine Sloan; Lake Orion: Ashley Dakki, jr. D; Corey Tremblay, jr. D; Oxford: Not available; Rochester: Krista Fox, sr. D; Maggie Ng, jr. A; Aly Rosenau, soph. G; Holly Vizzaccero, sr. M; Melanie Haberkamp, sr. M; Rochester United: Not available; Troy: Lauren Duane, sr. D; Sydney Barrett, jr. A; Rachel Racette, sr. M/A; Troy Athens: Tamara Albazi, sr. M; Devon Gac, jr. G; Becca Chen, fr. M.

 

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Last updated: Jul 17 2010 at 10:39 PM

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