The Oak Park and River Forest High School girls lacrosse team is off to a 2-0 start this spring, having defeated St. Laurence 20-5 and St. Viator 14-4.
“I am most impressed with how this team has jelled so quickly,” said OPRF coach James Borja, in his seventh season. “It’s an extremely smart group and they’ve picked up concepts extremely fast. It’s one of the most talented groups I have had at OPRF, and they can compete with any team in the state.”
The Huskies, who went 13-7 last season, have 15 returnees, including junior attacker Hannah Simon, an All-Stater who had 80 goals and 50 assists in 2023; junior midfielders Kelsey O’Brien (13 goals, 8 assists) and Harper Thompson (44 goals, 6 assists); senior midfielder Kai Coffee; and senior goalie Elizabeth Thompson.
Newcomers to watch are sophomore attacker Tess Cronin and freshman defender Megan Thomason.
OPRF has a loaded schedule, with non-conference matches against Benet Academy, Lake Forest, and New Trier. The Huskies will also face one of Indiana’s top programs, Carmel, and travel to Ohio to play two state-ranked teams in Granville and Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy.
Borja feels the chase for the West Suburban Silver title will be “one of the tightest in recent years,” with Downers Grove North, Hinsdale Central, OPRF, and York vying for the crown.
“Our goal this year is to make a deep run into the playoffs,” Borja said. “As we improve, we will be a very dangerous team in May.”
OPRF’s next matches are at home with Benet, April 4, and Lake Forest, April 6.
Fenwick
The Friars started the season nicely with victories over Riverside-Brookfield (11-2), St. Laurence (13-9), and Lane Tech (10-2) in their first four matches. The only loss came to Loyola Academy, a perennial state power.
”We have a great balance of newcomers and returners,” said Fenwick coach Tracy Bonaccorsi, in her fifth season. “One great thing is every single player has made their mark on the stat sheet, which shows how balanced we are as a unit.”
Fenwick (10-7 last year) returns 14 players, including junior goalie Lily de la Torre, junior attacker Katy Berni, junior midfielder Sade Rucker, senior defender Molly Pondelicek, senior midfielder Caroline Sutton, and senior attacker Elizabeth Winkiel. Rucker and Sutton share the team lead with nine goals each.
Newcomers to watch are freshman Tessa Timpone; sophomores Kate and Maddy Cox, and Emma Kure; and juniors Margaret Gibbs, Olivia LaChance, and Lauren Wilson, who’s back after spending her sophomore year with the school’s theater department.
The Friars have a rigorous schedule, with upcoming non-conference matches against Fremd, Lyons Township, and OPRF.
“We haven’t played (LT) in my past four seasons, but I know the girls are looking forward to it, considering a handful of them play club together or know each other from growing up in the Western Springs and Hinsdale areas,” Bonaccorsi said.
Loyola has dominated the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference in recent years, but Bonaccorsi is optimistic Fenwick can be competitive with league rivals Montini and St. Ignatius.
“I’ve been extremely happy with how it’s gone so far,” she said. “A handful of our seniors have been on varsity all four years, so having that experience, consistency, and strong coach-player relationship should really help us succeed this year.”
Fenwick returns to action at Mother McAuley on April 10.
