Spring sports is now in season and the Blythewood girls’ lacrosse team is looking to find their way back to competing for a state championship. From 2008 through 2010, Blythewood went on a 35-game winning streak (school record). The Lady Bengals were state champions in 2010, semi-finalist in 2011 and last season fell victim to eventual state champs Fort Mill in the quarterfinals.
Last year Blythewood finished with a 13-4 record. Despite having just 14 girls on the team this season, the Lady Bengals will be well conditioned because they’ve been doing the Insanity workout during the off-season.
Blythewood head coach Rick Piersma picked the Insanity workout because it didn’t require extra equipment and believes it has prepared his team for the rigors of the regular season.
“We’re in pretty good shape,” Piersma said. “We’ve done it three to four times a week and it’s really worked.”
The Insanity workout is known for its intense workout followed by a short recovery period. Piersma has named Brittany Thurston, a junior, and seniors Peyton Wiseman and Courtney Hance as his three captains. Even though the upperclassmen swept the honors of being named captain, Piersma is excited about the freshman class.
“This is probably the best freshmen class in the last three or four years,” Piersma said.
The freshman class comes in with some experience after playing on the club level and their stick skills are much higher than the average player.
“It’s nice to get those type of players coming up into our program,” Piersma noted.
Rachel Koerwer, Sara Bailes and Adrienne Niere are at the core of that freshman class and are set to make an impact. But then there is that old saying, “defense wins championships,” and that’s where sophomore goalie Taylor Harden comes in. Harden was the third best freshman goalie in the state last season with a 59 percent save percentage and holding opponents to just 5.3 goals per game.
One date on the schedule to look forward to is a non-region match against the defending state champs, Fort Mill, on March 12. The Lady Bengals opened up the 2013 campaign with a 14-12 win over A.C. Flora on Feb. 20. Thurston led the way with five goals on nine shots and Wiseman chipped in three goals on five shots. Blythewood made their home debut Tuesday against Spring Valley and will host Richland Northeast on Friday.
