Area MWAA Girls Lacrosse Teams, So Far

The 26 St. Louis-area girls’ lacrosse teams are in two leagues, split between the public and private schools. The public schools are in the Independent League and the private are in the Metro Women’s Athletic Association (MWAA). Four of the private schools are in the Ladue-Frontenac area, taken alphabetically they are John Burroughs, MICDS, St. Joseph’s and Villa Duchesne. Here’s a look at where these four schools are, so far in the season.

The John Burroughs team is 4-0 in MWAA play and 6-0 overall. Coach Megan O’Malley said their toughest opponent so far has been St. Joe’s, which Burroughs ended up winning, but was a tough defensive game for a while. She said they hadn’t been challenged before then. Eventually senior, Emily Valli (19 goals on the season) opened it up with five goals, and the Bombers were up 9-1 at the half, with help from freshman, Stephanie Kelly (14 season goals) and junior Charlotte Martin (17 season goals).

Valli tore her ACL last year but has come back healed and strong, O’Malley said. Valli has signed to play D1 lacrosse at Ohio State.

This is O’Malley’s first year as head coach. She was assistant, when then head coach when Peter Tasker led Burroughs to the state championship in 2009. She played for University of Virginia and on the US national team after that.

The Bombers next game is at Eureka (5-1) on Monday.

St. Joseph’s Academy is 0-3 in MWAA play and 4-3 overall. Coach Jennifer Bisch mentioned the Angels’ game with Burroughs as a good defensive game, and was happy with her team’s play in the first half of the game against the strong MWAA oppenent.

Bisch said seniors Mary Katherine McCreery, Amanda Hoffmeyer, Grace Zuniga, Susie Meskill and goalie, Brittany Millsap are the heart and soul of the team. “They motivate the team, they get the team pumped,” she said. She said other seniors on the team are first-time players, and called this a regrouping year.

Bisch said Millsap, the team’s goalie, is the team’s driving force. “You can tell if we’re going to win or loose a game based upon her.” Millsap has signed to play D2 lacrosse at Saint Leo University, in Florida. Zuniga has signed with Lindenwood University, which is transitioning from D3 to D2 next year.

Bisch said their Urlsuline game was their best so far. Even though they lost 15-11, they came back from a 9-3 deficit at the half. Against Clayton, which they lost 16-4, “Every play we executed, we only had six dropped balls the entire game,” she said.

The Angels will host a tournament in May that will bring schools from Kansas City to play with the St. Louis teams. St. Joe’s will play at Lafayette on Monday, April 19.

MICDS is 2-0 in MWAA and 5-1 overall. Their only loss has been to Ladue. Coach Meghan DiGiulio said her girls fought through a 4-1 deficit to beat Parkway West. It was 6-5 for MICDS at the half, then the Rams outscored West 7-1 in the second half. DiGiulio said it was an “important stage to go through during the first part of our season…the girls didn’t back down and they fought through and played their game for the second half.”

Captains, Hannah Thiemann leads MICDS in scoring with 13 goals and nine assists on the season. Senior captain, midfielder, Allison Weisenfels, has been an “impact player on both ends of the field. She’s done a tremendous job on the defensive end, forcing turnovers, and she also takes the draw,” Digiulio said.

Digiulo said senior, Katherine Stone, midfielder, gives the Rams a lot of consistency all over the field. “She’s a smart tough defender. She’s quite creative on attack as well,” she said.

MICDS next homae game is against Ursuline on April 19.

The Villa Duchesne Saints are currently 0-3 in the MWAA and 2-3 overall. Coach Andrew Shipp said their game against Eureka was a 11-9 loss, but senior attacker, Lauren Mangano, had five goals. “She helped lead our offense, in a lose, but overall a great game,” Shipp said.

The Saints’ captains are Mangano, senior, Mary Margaret Pearman, and junior, Savannah Paletta.

Last year Villa made it to state quarterfinals and lost to John Burroughs. “Every year I been at the school we’ve taken a step further…in the playoffs and hopefully we can make it to the semifinals this year, if not state,” Shipp said. He said he has a good group of seniors and the junior class is very strong.

Villa plays today at Ursuline Academy, and at Nerinx Hall on Monday, April 18.

The 26 teams in the Independent (public school) league and the MWAA, combined, all take part in the state playoffs. All 26 teams are in the St. Louis area. The top teams get a first round bye, so seeding in the tournament can make a big difference. After the first two rounds, it goes into quarterfinals, semifinals then finals.