ON THE BALL: Hun School girls’ lacrosse player Briana Barratt tracks the ball in recent action. Last Saturday, Barratt tallied two goals and four assists to help Hun edge Mercersburg Academy (Pa.) 21-20. The Raiders, now 3-4, play at the Hill School (Pa.) on April 24 and at Princeton High on April 27.
(Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Even though her Hun School girls’ lacrosse team started the season with four losses in its first five games, Haley Sanborn wasn’t discouraged.

“You can always tell a team’s character when they are losing,” said Hun head coach Sanborn.

“We were in a losing streak and the girls were having team meetings, talking about what they needed to do to come out of it.”

Last Thursday, Hun came out of its early slump in a big way, cruising to a 21-7 win at Peddie.

“I think it was a great win; the girls were pumped up coming into the game,” said Sanborn.

“Everyone played their best game of the year. Every single player got in and they all played well. I am hoping it will propel us into the rest of the season.”

Senior star and Boston College-bound Kate Weeks helped propel the Raiders in their win over the Falcons, tallying 12 goals and two assists.

“It is the type of player she is; she wants it and she goes for it,” said Sanborn of Weeks, who recently scored the 200th goal of her career. “She has such a drive for the game.”

Last Saturday, Weeks produced another 12-goal effort to give her 58 for the season as Hun edged Mercersburg Academy (Pa.) 21-20.

“It takes four hours to get there and we have a one and half hour wait; it took us a little while to get going,” said Sanborn, who got three goals and five assists from Maddie Schade with Brianna Barratt adding two goals and four assists and Erica Dwyer tallying two goals and an assist as the Raiders improved to 3-4.

“It was a back-and-forth game. It was not one of our best games in terms of passing, shooting, and getting ground balls. To compensate, they worked twice as hard. We got up three, they were up three, and no team had a bigger lead than that. It came down to possession. We had to stop with sloppy play; we were smart with the passing and the draw controls at the end.”

The Raiders have been showing some smart play on the defensive end. “Our defense has been jelling well; Lauren Apuzzi is controlling things there for us,” said Sanborn.

“We dropped Francesca Bello to defensive wing and she has been fantastic. Taylor Nehlig and Lucy Morgan are starting to step up; they are starting to understand the pace of the game. Emma Consoli has also been playing well there. They are coming together well, they are playing as a unit.”

Sanborn is confident her team can keep coming together as it heads into the homestretch.

“It was a good sign, we are on a good streak but we have a tough week ahead with Hill and PHS,” said Sanborn, whose team plays at Hill (Pa.) on April 24 and at Princeton High on April 27.

“Winning two in a row shows them that even when they are playing sloppy, hustle and heart can help you win. I am proud of them; every single player has stepped up, especially the younger players. It is about discipline, being clean on passing and shooting. The season is so short; I hope we hit our stride at the end. I have a lot of faith in them.”