Lady Spartans clicking on all cylinders
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter

With only two weeks left in the regular season, Williamsville North has made its case as the team to beat in Section VI field hockey.

The Lady Spartans (12-0), ranked No. 1 in Western New York, have great balance on offense and defense and will do whatever it takes to earn a win, said coach Kris Lapaglia.

"Collectively, they're playing some of the best hockey all season," she added. "They're all on the same page."

The North offense has scored 52 times from a variety of players. Senior attacker/midfielder Chantae Miller leads the way with a Section VI-best 20 goals but also has 17 assists. Many of her assists have gone to senior attacker/midfielder Leslie Ahern (five goals, nine assists), junior attackers Cailtin Butler (seven goals, two assists) and Emily O'Gorman (six goals, assist), and freshman attacker/ midfielder Allie Ahern (four goals, seven assists).

"At this point of the season, everyone tries to key in on Chantae, and what's nice is the other kids have been stepping up," said Lapaglia. "She knows she's still going to double, triple and sometimes quadruple teamed but she's a smart enough player to set other kids up."

Meanwhile, the defense, led by senior center back Emily Curry, senior right back Adrianna Meholick and sophomore left back Holly Flanigan, has been rock solid, only allowing teams an average of two shots on senior goalie Nicole Lewis.

"I think it's one of the best defensive cores I've had in 10 years," said Lapagalia. "They're a fast group of kids who are aggressive to the ball."

Lewis has posted nine shutouts, but perhaps her best game of the season was in North's 3-1 road win over Iroquois, the defending Section VI Class B champions, on Sept. 14.

"She came up with two huge clutch saves, one in the first half and one in the second half," said Lapaglia. "At the time, her big save in the second half could have easily turned the game into a tie."

Lewis finished the Iroquois game with five saves.

Miller scored all three goals against Iroquois on corner shots. She should have had three corner shot goals in the team's 3-1 road win against Orchard Park on Sept. 19, but OP defender Emily Girasole stopped her at the goal line, Lapagalia said. Miller finished the OP game with two goals; Curry also scored a goal.

Besides beating Iroquois and Orchard Park, the Lady Spartans have defeated East Aurora, 9-0 (O'Gorman, hat trick); Hamburg, 6-0 (Miller, four goals); Eden, 10-0 (Leslie and Allie Ahern, two goals each); Holland, 2-0; Lancaster, 4-0 (Butler, hat trick); Starpoint, 4-0; Pioneer, 4-0; and Williamsville East, 3-0.

Last week, the Lady Spartans