By Rachel Sweeney (April 17, 2005)

In hard-fought games, both the JV and varsity Lady Mustangs lost to AA Washington and Lee on Thursday, April 7, at W&L.

The JV girls started the game at 5:30 with freshman Lauren Jekowsky and eighth-grader Caitlin Sickler sharing time in goal for the first half. Behind 3-0 at halftime, the junior Mustangs continued to play hard. Caitlin Sickler also started in goal for the second half but was relieved by eighth grader Jackie Pacella to finish the game in the net. "Considering it was our first game," commented coach Stephanie Hulke, "they played well and we have much to look forward to." Shortly after, it started to rain and the game ended with a 4-0 loss for the JV Mustangs.

The varsity squad took the field for kickoff at 7:30 with rain coming down hard, this being the second game for the varsity spring season. Coming out of a 5-0 win against Central Woodstock the previous Wednesday, the Mustangs were careful not to go in overconfident. However, the rain made conditions slick and an uneven field did not help. While still learning about each player’s strengths and weaknesses, coach Cliff Carroll worked hard to get everyone game time and to build the foundations of a strong lineup.

Junior Alex Pender played goalie the whole game, doing a great job despite slippery balls and a muddy goal area. "This was not a team we expected to beat," said Carroll, "but it’s these kind of experiences that help us get to where we want to be in June" (referring to the State Championships).