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Amherst girls lax has potential for strong postseason
It's when the Lady Tigers have gotten out of Section VI that they've struggled. Amherst has won seven Section VI titles over the past nine years but lost all seven of their trips to the Far West Regionals (Rochester). The Lady Tigers seem to be closing the gap. Last year, they lost 9-8 to East Rochester in a Class C regional game. So what's the outlook for this year? "It is hard to say right now how far this team can go," said Amherst coach Janet Battaglia, whose team went 16-4 and won WNY Coach of the Year. "We have a core of strong players who need to set the tone for the season. Potentially, we can go as far as last year and compete." Battaglia has a blend of old and new players, although she said the balance of the team are girls up from last year's JV. "Blending skills and the defensive sense of anticipation and teamwork as well as the attacking sense of space and timing is taking a bit more time this year than in previous years," she said. Returning starters include senior midfielders Amy Simon and Daisy Timlin and senior defenders Meagan Hurley and Elana Korn, junior midfielder Abbie Gowen, junior goalie Ellie Poleon and sophomore Lily Timlin. Simon, Daisy Timlin and Hurley are four-year players and with Gowen, are returning All-Western New York selections (Simon, Timlin, Hurley - first team; Gowen, honorable mention). Simon scored 56 goals to go along with 19 assists and 19 draw controls. Daisy Timlin had 42 goals, 15 assists, 27 draw controls and 23 ground balls. Simon and Daisy Timlin are the team's captains. "Both bring a quiet style of leadership but a terrific work ethic," said Battaglia. "The other team members look to them for their leadership and experience and commitment to lacrosse." Hurley only scored a goal and assist last year but scooped up 40 ground balls. Gowen set state records last year for most assists in a single game (nine) and assists for a season (99). She also scored 64 goals to accumulate a school record 163 points, and win 41 draw controls. Lily Timlin had 21 goals, seven assists, 10 draw controls and 11 ground balls. Senior attacker Kristen Scaringi and senior and junior defenders, Cydney Kramer and Erin Edson, respectively, have worked themselves into strong starting or contributing positions, said Battaglia. Scaringi scored 12 goals and five assists last year. Battaglia has a number of younger players that will fill playing positions, namely sophomores Brooke Bullock (midfield) and Casey McGuire (defense). Sophomore midfielder Kelsey Battaglia, defender Stephanie Scime and freshman attacker Sophie Neiscuir should see significant playing time, she added. Juniors Jessica Turpin, Ashley Zak and Jenna Klein are being counted on to contribute at attack as well as senior Sophia Kim at midfield and sophomore Deanna Sinatra at goaltender. Battaglia said team strengths are stick skills and attack. A team goal for the season is to play strong in ECIC Division III and in non-league games, Battaglia said. "By keeping each game and practice as a primary focus, we hope to win the section title," she said. Amherst lost its first two games of the season in Syracuse, albeit non-leaguers against schools from Section III (Syracuse). The Lady Tigers fell to Bishop Ludden, 15-14, last Friday night and Liverpool, 18-11, on Saturday morning. "Ludden was a game we could have won," said Battaglia. "However, there was a stretch where they beat us to the ball often and that created a gap that was difficult to overcome." Veterans on the team posted some great stats. Gowen led the attack with five goals and six assists. Simon added five goals and one assist. Daisy Timlin chipped in three goals and had a strong performance in the midfield, Battaglia said. Poleon had a 50 percent save percentage in net. Against Liverpool, Simon led all scorers with five goals, Daisy Timlin scored four times and added an assist, and Gowen had a goal and seven assists. Bullock had a goal in each of the games. Battaglia feels traveling out of Section VI to play non-league games offers three main benefits. "First of all, it offers the team a chance to spend some time on the road and in the hotel," she said. "We try to work in some fun team activities and meetings. It gives the players a chance to blend off of the field. Secondly, it provides a measuring stick, a chance to see where we are and what we need to work on as well as the chance to see lacrosse played outside of the Buffalo area. Finally, it provides a motivation for the season by getting the first games in with a different start." As an added bonus, the team got the chance to watch a Syracuse University-Georgetown girls lacrosse game (Syracuse won 18-3). Amherst opened league play against the team it beat last year for the section title, East Aurora, on Tuesday but the result was unavailable before The Bee went to press. "We are anxious to get some games in against local opponents to get a feel of our potential," said Battaglia. "Coach Kristy Grossman has been spending considerable time with the defense and working in the team style of 'D' that she encourages. Our attack has a general base, however, needs some fine tuning."
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