New Sweet Home coach wants to improve one game at a time
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter

Sweet Home's Laura Nerber, right, looks for an open shot in the Lady Panthers' 17-8 loss to Williamsville North last Thursday at Sweet Home. Nerber is a co-captain. Photo by Patrick McPartland

New Sweet Home girls lacrosse coach Katrina Cieri isn't thinking about long-term goals for her team but hopes small goals will add up to success at the end of the season.

"We're setting short-term goals," said Cieri. "I don't want them to look too far into the future. My philosophy is one game at a time. After one game, I look towards the next to see how we can improve. Making small improvements will make a big difference in the end."

Cieri said she is trying to build on skills her players have already learned from previous coaches and integrate it with some changes of her own.

Players who will start or see playing time are junior Rochelle Ricchiazzi (third on team last year with 13 goals and seven assists), Leann Stiver and Elizabeth Link at attack; seniors Laura Nerber and Leann Roetzer and juniors Marijke VanLeeuwen, MacKenzie Lewandowski, Kathryn Geib and Annelies Van- Leeuwen in the midfield; senior Katie Mazuchowski and sophomore Emily Victor at defensive wings; and juniors Allison Balcerzak, Erin Hutchinson and Lynn Keohane at defense.

Mazuchowski and Nerber are co-captains. Cieri said Mazuchowski is an accomplished field hockey player who has great field awareness, amazing heart and can make an impact. Nerber, a center midfielder, was second on the team last year with 20 goals and eight assists.

Senior Eileen Spadinger, who sat out last year with a broken collarbone, should contribute at an attack wing.

Junior goalie Cortney Wilkins starts between the pipes.

Cieri feels stick skills is a team strength so far. She is focusing on tightening up team defense. Many of the goals allowed in home losses to Iroquois, 16-9, last Wednesday, and Williamsville North, 17-8, last Thursday, came as the result of not stopping the opponent's transition offense in their defensive zone.

Sweet Home points against Iroquois came from Ricchiazzi (four goals), Marijke VanLeeuwen (three goals), Nerber (two goals, two assists), Stiver (three assists) and Link (assist).

Points against North came from Nerber (three goals), Ricchiazzi (two goals), Stiver, Marijke Van- Leeuwen and Victor (goal each) and Nerber, Link, Stiver and Marijke VanLeeuwen (assist each).

Wilkins made 15 saves against Iroquois and 19 stops versus North.

Sweet Home opened league play on Monday with a 14-11 win over Grand Island. Ricchiazzi (six goals), Stiver (five goals) and Nerber (five assists) led the Lady Panther offense. Marijke Van- Leeuwen had eight draw wins and grabbed 12 ground balls. Wilkins made five saves.

Sweet Home played Lake Shore on Tuesday but the result was unavailable before The Bee went to press.

Cieri is a 1998 Sweet Home graduate and played lacrosse and field hockey for the school.

"Most of the people in the athletic department I've known since I was very young," said Cieri. "It's always a family atmosphere so coming back feels very natural."

Sweet Home finished 7-8 last year and lost to Lake Shore in the Section VI Class B quarterfinals.
Sweet Home 2008 Schedule
4-9 at Lake Shore (JT Waugh
Elementary) .................. 4:30 p.m.
4-22 Hamburg............... 4:30 p.m.
4-24 at South ................ 4:30 p.m.
4-26 Niagara-Wheatfield 10 a.m.
4-28 at W.S. East.......... 4:30 p.m.
4-30 W.S. West.............. 4:45 p.m.
5-2 at Grand Island ..... 4:30 p.m.
5-5 Lake Shore............. 4:30 p.m.
5-7 at Hamburg ............ 4:30 p.m.
5-12 at N.Wheatfield ... 4:30 p.m.
5-14 W.S. East .............. 4:45 p.m.
5-16 at W.S. West ......... 4:30 p.m.