(Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption: OFFENSIVE SURGE: Hun School girls' lacrosse junior midfielder Bridget Stinson races up the field in action last season. Last Thursday, Stinson scored three goals and added three assists to help Hun beat Stuart Country Day 20-12. On Saturday, Stinson added another goal as Hun routed George School 17-5.

With Stinson Playing Leading Role, Hun Girls' Lax Off to Blazing Start

Bill Alden

Bridget Stinson was a member of the supporting cast last spring for the Hun School girls' lacrosse team.

With her older sister, Mary, emerging as a top gun as a senior, the younger Stinson deferred to Hun's veterans as the squad went 12-5 and advanced to the state Prep A semifinals.

Now that her older sister has graduated and headed to Boston College, the younger Stinson is primed to play a leading role for the Raiders this spring.

Last Thursday, Stinson proved to be a top option for the Raiders as she tallied three goals and a team-high three assists to help Hun cruise past Stuart Country Day 20-12.

Stinson is enjoying getting out of the shadow of her sister and is looking to make the most of the situation.

"My sister played last year and she had the dominating role," said the junior midfielder. "I have much more of an opportunity with the ball so I thought I should step up this year. I miss her but I'm happy to have that opportunity."

Stinson put in plenty of time in the off-season as she looked forward to playing a more prominent role. "I worked a lot over the summer," said Stinson, who also plays for the Hun School girls' basketball team. "I got confident with my catches. I worked on driving into the net a lot more."

Those skills have come in handy as Hun has honed its transition game, utilizing its run-and-gun style to jump off to a 13-5 halftime lead against Stuart on the way to victory.

"We've been working on that a lot this year," said Stinson. We try to keep it going to the side instead of the middle because girls get doubled in the middle. There are a lot more options on the outside."

Stinson goes out of her way to utilize the passing option. "I don't want to be a ball hog," said Stinson. "I look for the other players; they do a good job of getting open."

Hun head coach Lauren Provenzano is looking for Stinson to be one of the team's main options this season. "Bridget has made a lot of progress," said Provenzano of Stinson, who added a goal last Saturday as Hun routed George School 17-5 to improve to 3-0 on the season.

"She played very well with her sister; I think she is stepping up a little more this year. One thing about Bridget is that she always likes to shoot. Most of my attack wants to go to goal; we tell them they have to move it around."

Provenzano likes the way her attack is moving the ball. "I have a lot of experienced players," added Provenzano.

"I think they know where they need to move. They see each other in front of the cage on attack. We haven't had to do too many plays; a lot of what they do is freelance."

The play of junior Sarah Appelt, the younger sister of former University of Virginia All-American lax star Amy Appelt, has helped things for Hun around the cage.

"She's really something else," asserted a grinning Provenzano of her junior attacker who had five goals in the win over Stuart and added four in the victory over George.

"I met her last year and I knew I had quite a player coming in. A lot of my movement on the field is dependent on her. I know she will be double and triple-teamed but I think the rest of the girls know that so they are set up for that."

Hun's players have developed a chemistry that has helped fuel their high-powered offense. "The girls get along; the team dynamic is unbelievable," said Provenzano. "We don't have problems on the team in terms of getting along and I think that carries onto the field. So far, I'm very pleased. The kids work hard in both practice and the games."

Stinson, for her part, believes that hard work is going to result in a big season. "I see a lot of opportunity for this team," maintained Stinson. "It looks like a really good team, maybe even better than last year."

And with Stinson embracing her bigger role, Hun should be able to maximize its opportunities.

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