Girls lacrosse
Knights continue dominance
City looks for ways to grow as it wins its fourth straight
For the past six years, City’s girls lacrosse team has dominated the Baltimore City league, so Knights coach Sedrick Smith always looks for signs that his team is continuing to grow.
Late in Thursday’s 16-5 win over Western, Melia Scott and Jo Schmollinger connected on the kind of scoring play the Knights need to progress past the second round of the playoffs.
Scott sent a perfect pass to Schmollinger in the crease and the tall senior popped the ball over the Western goalie’s head to give host City a 13-7 lead with 7:16 left in the game.
“That play was so beautiful,” Smith said.
“We called a set and Melia couldn’t run the play we wanted to because Western had cut off that side. She was smart enough to read it and figure out where Jo was and that made for a nice cut and a nice goal. That’s the part that makes it fun for me, to see that kind of play.”
Scott, a speedy sophomore club veteran, said the play was unexpected but not difficult.
“It’s just like instinct,” Scott said. “You see her open and it’s just there. It’s easy to read each other when you work so hard together, especially in practice. Jo’s a really good player, so it’s easy for me to hit her and it’s in the goal.”
Schmollinger, a senior, spent the previous school year as an exchange student in Germany and Scott was happy to see her return to the team this spring, especially because of her presence in the crease.
The Doves (2-1) stuck with the Knights (4-0) early as the game was tied at 1, 2 and 3.
Smith called a timeout with 17:57 left in the first half and the score tied at 3. After that, the Knights started to roll.
Grace Pula, who finished with five goals and three assists, fed Nadia Mattanah and scored 41 seconds later. That sparked a 8-0 run during which the Doves were held scoreless for more than 28 minutes until Destiny Johnson scored the fourth of her five goals on a free position with 12:40 left in the game.
City goalie Maddie Reeser, who had eight saves and an interception, said keeping possession and the Knights defenders’ tight defense enabled her team to break away.
“That team’s very fast and very aggressive and we can’t just put our sticks in front of them. We have to put our body in front of them and be on the ball at all times,” Reeser said.
Smith has more players with lacrosse experience than any team in the city. Scott and Reeser played together when they were middle school aged and some girls started playing in elementary school.
Western coach Mary Hain said that’s been the key to their success.
The Doves had far too many unforced turnovers, Hain said, “but other than that, they did a great job.
“We have eight new players and that’s significant. Coach Smith said, ‘You’ve got a lot of talent and in the next three or four years, you could be really good.’ They’ve got speed. They just need to learn how to throw and catch the ball.”
The Knights have been arriving the past few years with a good repertoire of lacrosse skills, but Reeser said even those who come in without experience contribute to the team’s success.
“I think it’s a mixture of having girls that have experience and also the way we play as a team,” Reeser said. “We have a large range of girls who have played before, girls who haven’t and we all work together to kind of figure it out. It’s not like a one-man show. We’re all working together to make everyone better.”
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