All things considered the inaugural season of Tiger girls' lacrosse went pretty well. Coach Dan Pickens' inexperienced squad, dominated by underclassmen, won only two of 11 starts but was competitive in most and showed great improvement from the beginning of the season to the end.
As year two of the fledgling program approaches, Pickens said he is optimistic about his team's chances in 2011.
"I am very confident and excited about this year," he said. "The learning curve was exponential last year and that will continue this season.
"I think we should be near the top of our conference but because there are only three sections in the state, we will have to face teams like Bloomington Jefferson, the Lakeville schools and Eagan in the playoffs."
One of the reasons for Pickens' optimism about the season ahead is the return of 18 letterwinners from last year's team, none of them seniors.
Returning juniors include last season's leading scorers Ally Midboe (20 goals, 7 assists) ad Adrienne Jolicoeur (14 goals) along with fellow attackers Amy Delaney, Nikki Webster and Shannon Grengs; midfielders Elsa Saari, Haley Bradshaw, Kevra Wolfe, Sarah Burke, Jessica Erchul, Shely Olson and Tia Jacoby and defenders Ashley Gandrud, Brittany Olsen and Kelli Harstad.
Underclassmen returnees include sophomore defender Delaney Wright; freshman attacker Lindsey Benson and last year's starting goalie, freshman Maddie Kohlbeck.
"We are a very fast team that plays good defensive lacrosse," Pickens said. "We have a strong goalie coming back and more experience all around. We'll still be very young but we will be more confident and hope to improve our record to above .500.
"We play like a team and the girls have each other's backs. Our unity will be our biggest asset over the next two years."
Pickens went on to say that continuing to master the fundamentals of the game would be a big key in how successful the season will be.
"We'll still need to work on our passing and catching skills," he said. "We will focus on that at every practice."
Shawn Anderson returns as one of Pickens' varsity assistant coaches. The other belongs to Abby Thell, a collegiate lacrosse player at the University of Nebraska.
The Tigers open play Monday, Apr. 11, with a road game at Lakeville South.
