Girls’ lacrosse: Team ends season undefeated

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, May 11, 2016

The Vashon Valkyries are coming of age. Coming off a 6-5 record last year, the five-year-old team just completed an undefeated season.

Winning games consistently starts with strong defense, and for the Valkyries, that starts with co-captain and goalkeeper Sophie Gagnaire, who has a save rate of 73 percent — the highest of any goalie in the state. But of course, you have to score goals too, and Emily Wilson is number three in the state with 55 goals on the 2016 season.

Head coach Larry Dubois said that the girls’ team this season learned how to play as a team. He said that at the beginning of the year, the girls “really leaned on a few strong players.” He challenged the experienced players to develop the younger ones — half the team is first-year players — and challenged the younger players to not lean on the experienced ones.

Among the experienced players are the team’s three co-captains: Gagnaire, Hunter Semone and Presley Roggenbuck. Dubois’ team-building work is reflected in their answers about what they enjoy about lacrosse. The captains reiterated this theme of playing together, all saying that “trust is key,” and that it is “really rewarding to play as a group.”

The co-captains are all graduating following last week’s sweep of the final three games of the season, leaving Dubois to ponder what the future holds for the high school-age team. He said he plans to continue on and play competitively by requesting a stronger schedule, adding more of the “powerhouse program” teams next year.

With continued success, and development of the program in the younger ages, the team will be on its way yet again.

For the younger team — the fifth- and sixth-grade girls — they have a burgeoning program this year, and are having plenty of fun, despite the usual challenges of a first-year program, with new players facing experienced teams week after week. They have been close in many games and earned a tie in one of them. The girls are improving week after week, and are looking up to what their high school counterparts are doing. The Valkyries are on the rise.

— Greg Martin in the father of two high school athletes.