Spring break proved not only important for people that wanted to catch up on sleep or to get a break from school, but also for Pascack Valley’s sports teams. It is much easier to play when players aren’t worn down and tired from a long day at school. Even though practice can be early and long, break is one of the most crucial times for spring sports. Girls’ lacrosse was no different.

“[The girls] are meshing better as a team, they are aware of what they are capable of,” said coach Melissa Velez, who was very satisfied with her team’s performance over break.

The most noticeable improvements for the team came during the game against Saddle River Day. Although it was a tough loss for the Indians, they played a fantastic first half, with glimpses of what is in store for the rest of the season. It was a great display of teamwork and communication from both the offense and the defense, but as spring can be, the weather was not very “lacrosse friendly.”

Evidently, the weather over the past week has not put a halt to the improvement of the team. The biggest improvement though is the team’s ability to score. The team had two key victories, one on Friday against Cranford where the team won 11-9 and one on Monday when the team traveled to Morristown-Beard and put in another win 18-5. The team is scoring more, which in turn creates more opportunities for the team to capture the lead early in the game.

Velez echoed that statement, “[The team is] making shots more, we shoot 20 times a game on goal and more often they are going in.”

And she attributed this to Lydia Christiano, a standout senior who has scored 14 goals this year. Christiano’s accuracy and talent are enough to average 2 goals a game, which is a lot considering teams usually score under 10 goals in a game.

The team looks to Christiano and senior Lauren Iannotta as their senior captains, to lead them the rest of the way, along with junior captains Natalie Bade and Ana Beyer (who also happened to be our Athlete of the Week). Their record is now 4-3, a winning record, but not entirely indicative of how the team has been playing. The team has missed the Top 10 ranking for the past few weeks and is looking to claim a spot among the other elite teams of the area. With key games coming up, the Indians have the chance to establish themselves into that elite group.

Last week: The Pascack Valley team only played two games over spring break, in addition to one again when school was back in session. On Tuesday, April 7, the Indians traveled to Saddle River Day School to play in some pretty bad conditions. Despite opening the game well, the team struggled in the second half, falling in the end 13-8. The high scorer was Natalie Bade with 3 goals.

The next two games saw needed victories for the team. On Friday, the team hosted Cranford, winning 11-9. High scores were Ana Beyer and Lydia Christiano both with 3 goals. On Monday, the team traveled to Morristown-Beard, defeating them 18-5. Top scores included Jillian LaRocca and Lydia Christiano each with 4 goals apiece.

This week: Today, April 17, the Indians host Mahwah in one of the most important games of their season. The game will be held at 4:30 p.m. up at the PV turf. On Wednesday, the team travels to Livingston to face off at 4:30 p.m.

Follow us on Twitter @pvsmokesignal to get live updates on this Friday’s Girls lacrosse game in real time!