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Saturday, April 15, 2023, TRIB-LIVE
The Fox Chapel girls lacrosse team is searching for better ways to support each other. When it comes to trying to earn a spot in the WPIAL playoffs, the Foxes have been focused on making sure things run smoothly from top to bottom.
Fox Chapel wanted to rebound quickly from a three-game losing streak heading into Easter weekend with a quick turnaround against Freeport. The Foxes crushed the Yellowjackets, 17-2, on April 12.
“(Two weeks ago) highlighted a lot of technical things we could do better,” Fox Chapel coach Kellee Cribby said. “We graduated a lot of seniors on defense. We are figuring out how the defense can run this year and how the defense can play with the mids. We are also trying to maintain possession in the attack and support the defense by holding onto the ball.”
The Foxes knew there would be an adjustment period after losing several key defensive players to graduation. Fox Chapel had Mia Nury and Aly Solomon, who both played midfield last year, slide into defense.
Senior captain Caroline Bonidy and sophomore Natalie Patel have also played key roles on defense.
“It’s been up and down,” Cribby said. “We’re still figuring it out, which is totally normal at this stage of the game. We’ve had moments where it’s been great. We are excited by the patience and the growth.”
Beating the Yellowjackets halted a three-game losing streak to Fox Chapel. The Foxes had been limited to 18 goals during their losing skid. Fox Chapel (4-3) opened the season with wins over Peters Township, Indiana and North Hills.
The Foxes’ attack has been led by Lindsay Scheffler, who has 16 goals and 21 assists, and Sydney Schutzman, who has 25 goals and two assists.
Schutzman hit the 100-goal mark in March when she scored six goals in a win over Indiana. Scheffler is also close to reaching the century mark in goals.
“Sydney’s a midfielder and she’s amazing,” Cribby said. “She’s a great example for the rest of the team. She plays with intensity and competes hard.”
Fox Chapel is hoping that the win over Freeport can put the Foxes back on the right track. There are still a lot of opportunities to grab wins in conference and pursue a spot in the playoffs.
Fox Chapel was the WPIAL runner-up last season and last won a section title during the 2019 season.
“It comes back to practice and we have to practice like you play,” Cribby said. “We want to bring intensity to practice.”