1. Foothill. Click here to read about the Foothill girls lacrosse team
2. Los Alamitos: The Griffins have won three consecutive Division 1-South and Division 1 Southern Section titles and looks like they have the ability to challenge for a fourth this year.
The county’s coaches have picked Foothill this year as the pre-season No. 1.
“It’s interesting to come up with a championship and still be ranked No. 2, but we love it that people are still thinking we’re not at the top and we’re ready to let our play on the field show exactly how good we are,” said second-year Coach Liz Connelly, who led the Griffins to a 19-3 record last year.
Connelly likes what she sees of her team so far.
“This is probably one of the hardest working teams I’ve ever been a part of,” said Connelly. “We have a lot of young girls and a lot of new players, but a ton of depth.
“We’re excited to have strong legs off the bench and strong players on the field at all times.”
Among the top returning players are senior defender Sophia Aragon, an all-county first team player last year. Aragon had 47 groundballs, forced 29 turnovers and had 31 draw controls for the Griffins. She also had eight goals and eight assists.
The Griffins also look for another big season from junior midfielder Julie Crowell, who was a first team all-county player last year. She had 72 goals, 54 assists and 27 groundballs.
Also back is senior attack Keaton Otake, a second team all-county player last year.
Other top players include senior defenders Devynn Turk and Kat Moretta, sophomore midfielder Caitlin Derry, senior attack Lauren Actkinson, Meghan Cassedy and Morgan Thompson and junior goalies Gaby Fukumura and Emily Alpaugh.
O.C. girls lacrosse season preview
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3. Beckman: The Patriots, who went 10-0 to win the PCL last year, graduate seven seniors, including all-county players Abbey Messmer, Ari White and Allie Lehner, but Coach Tom Messmer is still optimistic.
“We have the most talented freshmen class ever and everyone has significant elite club experience,” he said.
“Kylie Wong has the hardest shot in OC and we have the best team speed we’ve ever had. Our freshman goalie (Claire Duchene) plays like an experienced varsity player after a year with the OC Elite club team.”
Wong, a senior midfielder and Hanna Leonard, a junior attack, were both all-PCL selections last year. Other top players include junior defender Haley Pohl, junior midfielder Angela Tulio and junior defender Allison ODonnell.
4. Santa Margarita: The Eagles won the Trinity League title last year with an 8-0 record and are hoping to repeat this season under first year coach Artemis Spruill. Spruill takes over for Cressita Bowman, who is now coaching at Mater Dei.
The Eagles are led by senior center Adrienne Anderson, who was the co-MVP of the Orange County Register all-county team. Other top returning players include senior midfielder Carlie McNiff, senior defender Makenna Bigelow and sophomore midfielder Danielle O’Connor, who were all-league first team players last year. Sophomore midfielder Taylor Rowden and junior attack Lena Huebscher, both second team all-league players last year, are other top players for the Eagles.
Santa Margarita is hoping to reach the finals again of the U.S. Lacrosse Division 1 South division after losing to Los Alamitos in the finals last year.
Also back are sophomore midfielder Taylor Rowden and junior attack Lena Huebscher, who were second team all-league players.
5. Mater Dei: Cressita Bowman, the Register’s coach of the year last season at Santa Margarita, takes over at Mater Dei and hopes to help the Monarchs contend for the Trinity League title. “Mater Dei has strong leadership from the returning varsity players and a large group of seniors,” Bowman said.
Mater Dei was 8-8 overall and 4-4 in the Trinity League last year.
Among the returning players are senior defender Milan Desamito, junior attack Kelsey Duran, sophomore defender Eliana Galinda, junior defender Maricella Guilean and sophomore midfielder Erin Herndon. Other top returning players include senior attack Hanna Herold and Brenna Landstrom, senior defender Katrina Lim, junior midfielder Rachel McInotsh and senior goalie Stephanie Moran.
6. El Toro: The Chargers went undefeated (8-0) to win the South Coast League title last year and Coach Scott Craycraft is optimistic about this year’s team. “We have a great group of athletes who have heart and love the sport and each other,” he said. “We expect great things.”
Among the top returning players is senior midfielder Nikki Taylor, who had 33 goals and 22 assists last season. Other top players include senior midfielder/attack Heather Simmons, senior midfielder Krissy Mathers, senior attack Melissa Fazio and senior defenders Lizzy Winders and Angela Barrozo. Craycraft is also looking for big performances from senior attack Erin Griffin, senior midfielder Nicole Peters, senior midfielder-attack Bailey Bourg and junior midfielders Miranda Rincon and Bella Knoth.
7. Corona del Mar: Aly Vislocky returns to coach the Sea Kings and hopes to help CdM battle Beckman for the Pacific Coast League title. The top returning players include senior attack Torrey Atyah, senior midfielder Gabby Smith, junior defender Kylie Mulvaney, junior midfielder Molly Rovzar, senior defender Ashley Kelegian and senior goalie Sarah Hostetler.
Other top players include senior attack Cassidy Napolitano, sophomore attack Sabrina Smith, senior defender Audrey Doud and senior attack Paige Miller.
8. Aliso Niguel: Coach Dave Elkins said his squad is a “young team with lots of potential.” Leading the way is senior attack/midfielder Emily Elkins, who was all-league and all-county last year and has already signed to play lacrosse for Regis University, a Division III program. Among the other top players are senior defender Allison Kerins and sophomore attack-midfielder Molly Elkins, who were both all-league last year. Junior goalkeeper Gigja Hollyday and junior attack-midfielders McKenna Hayes and Meagan Hayes also return along with junior defender Hanna Noll, sophomore defender Amelia Guesman and junior midfielder Madison Montague.
9. El Dorado: The Golden Hawks have a new coach. Brian Eisenberg, who coached the Tesoro boys squad, will guide the team. Among El Dorado’s top players include senior midfielders Ashley Eickhoff, Prezley Espeseth and Hailey Meyer and senior attack Tori Holland Bowe, Allie Kyte and Melia Pitney.
Other top players include senior defender Nicole Robertson and Lacy Youmans and senior midfielder Danielle Wheat.
10. St. Margaret’s: Coach Summer Crabtree hopes that the Tartans, who finished 11-9 last season, will be competitive in the Trinity League. “The Tartans are a young squad this year with lots of exciting, new talent,” she said. “We are eager to see who steps up and makes a difference. We are returning some amazing players from the 2011 season who will lead this squad to a successful season.”
Among the top players are junior midfielder Regan Anderson, who was first team all-league last year and junior defenders Arreanna Marko and Hannah Narvaez. Junior goalie Julia Alvarez, who became the starting goalie in the playoffs, is also looking to make a big impact, Crabtree said. Also back is senior midfielder Natasha Grey, who was second team all-league last year.
