NET GAIN: Hun School girls’ lacrosse goalie Madison McNulty makes a save in a game this season. Junior McNulty’s fine play in the cage helped Hun post a final record of 9-8 this spring.

With a 5-8 record and four games left in the season, the Hun School girls lacrosse team could have gone through the motions down the stretch.

Instead, Hun saved its best for last, posting four straight wins to end up with a a 9-8 record and a winning season.

For Hun second-year head coach Liz Cook, her team’s late surge had her wanting the season to keep going.

“We struggled all season to find our identity,” said Cook, whose team defeated WW/P-S (18-5 on May 6), Blair Academy (14-10 on May 7), Lawrence (16-4 on May 10), and WW/P-N (9-7 on May 11) in its final week of action.

“I wish the season was longer because we totally found it. Things clicked for us and the last four games were just win, win, win, win. We are just so thrilled about it, I couldn’t be happier.”

In Cook’s view, the key factor underlying the Hun’s strong finish was team unity.

“I preach to these girls that the most important thing is their character,” said Cook. “Our acronym this year was PRIDE — preparation, respect, integrity, determination, and effort. We finally got into a rhythm where everybody bought into it and we became the one team, one family that we were looking for all season. Everybody was psyched about it, we didn’t have one person that wasn’t as excited as the other. We didn’t have a weak link by the end, which was really nice.”

The Raiders also displayed some nice play at the offensive end, featuring balanced scoring and ball movement.

“We were totally sharing the ball, that was something we worked on from midseason,” said Cook.

“We realized we were running the ball a lot and we really worked on a transition game, passing, and sharing. It doesn’t matter who has the hot stick that day; that goes back to the locker room and what they were able to translate on to the field.”

In the season finale, that hard work paid off with a memorable win over WW/P-N.

“We went into that game knowing that was going to be a tough day,” said Cook reflecting on the matchup with the Northern Knights.

“It was our Senior Day and we had that bond as a team in the locker room before. I have great respect for North; we just knew that was something we wanted to do and we set that goal. It was a lofty goal for us. We practiced the last couple of days to do it and we just came out and we never gave up. We had this vision that we were going to put two halves together and win it for our seniors and they did just that.”

Cook credited her Class of 2016 with helping the team forge bonds. “We had such great leadership from our five seniors, the Consoli twins, Emma and Katie, along with Lindsay Ruddy, Maura Kelly, and Allie Callaway,” said Cook.

“They were just so great; I am going to miss them incredibly. Their leadership was just something I could not have lived without. They were a great liaison between the kids and me; they were so mature in the way that they handled their team. They never turned their back on their team, they listened to what they had to say.”

That leadership was evident well before the season even started. “We took a giant step in the right direction this year,” asserted Cook.

“For me to go from taking over a program that was struggling and having a little better season last year and then to have a winning season this year, I think the sky is the limit. What I am so proud of is that they put a lot of effort in the preseason. In the fall, we did a ton of lifting and playing together. They had captains’ practices and they did yoga together. A lot of sacrifices were made to make this program a powerhouse. That is something we want to do and they all have that vision. It just takes one season at a time.”

The example set by the seniors appears to have made an impact on Hun’s returning players.

“I have got really great juniors coming up; we have great leaders,” said Cook.

“We have elected our captains for next year, Delia Lawver, Shannon Dudeck, and Madison McNulty. They are already starting to lead and take ownership of this team and figure out what they want to do so it is not so much me leading the way. I really want them to take over. It is their team, they can decide what their goals are and I am just there to push them along.”

In Cook’s view, maintaining the family feeling will be essential to achieving on-field goals.

“We are excited as a school now about girls’ lacrosse; that is something that I really wanted,” said Cook.

“The culture of losing is over, I hope. It is a different culture but it has to start with the girls and their bond. It sounds really hokey to them sometimes but it really makes a difference when they are together as a bonded unit on the field. A lot of them play together during the summer and I think they will bring that to the field. They have great respect for each other and others and that is what I am trying to teach them.”