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 (Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption:
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Hun Girls' Lax Rallies to Edge PDS, Hopes Win Will Be a Turning Point
By Bill Alden
Claire Halliday was knocked woozy after taking a stick in the head last Wednesday as the Hun School girls' lacrosse team battled Princeton Day School. Hun was reeling collectively as it found itself trailing the upstart Panthers 5-3 early in the second half, facing the possibility of falling to 2-3 on the season.
Halliday shook off the pain to fire in two goals to help key a 4-0 run in the first 10 minutes of the second half which turned the tide of the contest as the Raiders pulled out an 11-9 victory.
Afterward, Halliday asserted that she wasn't about to let a little pain keep her from fulfilling her role in the Hun attack.
"I got checked in the head and it hurt a little," said Halliday. "I put some ice on it and went back in. We had to work on settling down in the attack, keeping the plays and working on the fundamentals."
The sophomore attacker acknowledged that Hun's core of veteran players helped carry the team through against PDS.
"We have a lot of players who have been playing together a long time," said Halliday, who was the beneficiary of some sharp passes from seniors Ashley Wycoff and Bis Fries.
"I think that helps a lot. A lot of players play outside of school in leagues so they are playing together the whole year. The seniors are great leaders. They really pick you up and provide great support."
Hun head coach Lauren Provenzano credited her veterans with picking things up last Wednesday. "I think this game could be a turning point for our season," declared Provenzano. "The experienced players knew that we had to come out hard right away in the second half. Last year, we started 0-2 and turned things around. I think this was a key game."
Fries scored two goals and had four assists while Wycoff added a goal and an assist and classmate Arianne Berger contributed a goal. Senior goaltender Teresa Grzeczkowicz recorded 15 saves to key the defensive effort.
Provenzano acknowledged that Halliday also gave her club a much needed spark. "She will come through in a clincher," said Provenzano. "She works a lot on her stick skills. She listens and she does what I tell her. She's a very good kid."
In Provenzano's view, the win over PDS should help her team to know what it takes to be very good. "They know that they have to work to win these games," said Provenzano, whose club plays at Hopewell Valley on April 21 before hosting Lawrence on April 25.
"It's important for them to realize that no game is a gimme. All the teams in the area this year are competitive. Every game is going to be a fight. I think that makes the wins sweeter. Hopefully that will continue."
Halliday, for her part, thinks the come-from-behind win over PDS could be a harbinger of good things to come. "I think we'll be able to build off of this," added Halliday.
"I think that we learned today that we have to play more as a team. I think we are getting more in a flow with each other. I think it's all working out."
