QUICK LEARNER: Hun School girls’ lacrosse player Julia Salerno heads up the field in a game last spring. Sophomore Salerno figures to be a top defender for the Raiders this spring, who will be guided by new head coach Liz Cook. Hun opens its 2015 season by playing at Princeton High on March 27. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By the end of last spring, Liz Cook was ready to take a hiatus from coaching high school lacrosse.

“I was a Princeton Day School varsity coach, I was coaching at Princeton Lacrosse Club and Garden State Elite,” said Cook, who had been coaching at PDS for 15 years.

“I was really busy, there was not enough time for my kids. I wanted to take a break from high school lax and still coach the club teams. After the end of the PDS season, I told them what I was planning.”

But then Cook got an offer she couldn’t refuse as the Hun School reached out to her to see if she would take over a girls’ lacrosse program that had struggled to a 1-11 record in 2014.

“Hun is very much like PDS, there are a lot of similarities between the kids at both schools,” said Cook, a former three-sport star at PDS who went on to play field hockey, ice hockey, and lacrosse at Brown University.

“I knew some of the players from Garden State Elite. I knew they were struggling; it was a chance to really make a difference. It was a good fit.”

So far, Cook appears to be a good fit for the Hun program, heartened by how her players have responded to the coaching change.

“They have been great, they have taken me in with open arms,” asserted Cook, who is succeeding Haley Sanborn.

“They have bought into my philosophy. We all have a vision, we are all on the bus and they each have a ticket.”

The team’s recent preseason trip to South Carolina helped forge the bond between Cook and her new charges.

“We went to Hilton Head and had a ball,” asserted Cook. “We played a lot of lacrosse and did a lot of team building things. They feel like my kids already.”

A major goal for Cook this spring is to build up her team’s confidence as Hun looks to get back on the winning track.

“My philosophy for this year is to make everything positive,” said Cook.

“We have a team motto, “TNT”, meaning today, not tomorrow; do it now. Each girl picked a word that is special to them and they will focus on that in addition to the team.”

Cook is focusing on putting together a potent attack, noting that she is still working on figuring out the best way to deploy such talented players as juniors Emma Consoli and Katie Consoli, junior Mariesa Cay, sophomore Delia Lawver, junior Lindsay Ruddy, junior Maura Kelly, sophomore Shannon Dudeck, and sophomore Sophia Albanese.

“We have a lot of talent, the Consoli girls are great in the midfield, they really see the field,” said Cook.

“Cay is playing attack right now, she is really strong. Lawver is also good. They all have so much skill and lacrosse IQ. They are looking to me to put it together. It is hard for me to know right now where everyone is going to be. I may be moving people to positions they haven’t played in the past because I can see that they have the talent for that role.”

Things are more settled for the Raiders on defense. “We have a good defensive unit,” said Cook. “We have a lot of seniors, Amanda Barbour, Shannon Graham, Taylor Nehlig, and Reina Kern, along with sophomore Julia Salerno. The defensive unit is pretty much set.”

Cook is expecting sophomore goalie Maddie McNulty to have a good year.

“Maddie has made huge strides, she has worked hard,” said Cook. “She went to a lot of camps and has a personal coach. She has really come along.”

As Cook begins the rebuilding process, she is looking for the players to trust her approach.

“They have to stay with the plan; they might come against adversity and think it is not going to work,” said Cook.

“They need to stay with  the vision, no matter what happens. They have some fresh wounds from a season that was not what they wanted record-wise.”

Although it is early, the Raiders appear to have the chemistry to stick together through thick and thin.

“I have never had a team like this, they are all really good friends,” said Cook. “There is no drama; I never heard any of them say a negative word about anyone else. They really support each other.”