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CANTON GIRLS LACROSSE: Warriors learn a lot in first varsity season
Canton News file art The 2010 season was a learning experience for Canton’s girls lacrosse team, as the Warriors laid the foundation for future success.
Special to The Canton News
The first year might have caused some growing pains for Canton’s girls lacrosse team, but the future remains bright for the Warriors.
The team went 0-13 in 2010, their inaugural year at the varsity level, but head coach Andy Dylag took positives where they were. According to the head coach, the biggest concern for his team was experience, an issue that should subside in time.
“They grew this season,” said the head coach after a season-ending loss at Haddam-Killingworth. “They learned how to talk and how to play. They knew where to make the passes, but sometimes, they just couldn’t look up fast enough. That’s coming down the road.”
At this stage in the program’s existence, building the foundation comes before records, and the Warriors have laid the ground work for future success. Lacrosse might be a growing sport, especially in regards to girls teams, and the Warriors have worked to build a feeder program. The numbers at the younger levels have been swelling, with Dylag noting after the loss to Haddam-Killingworth that the first- and second-grade levels are pushing 50 players as “in a little town like Canton, with maybe 150 in a grade, and we’ve got a third of them playing lacrosse, that’s pretty outstanding.
“The season has maybe two weeks left, and we’re still taking registrations,” added the head coach. “Parents in town are hearing about it, going to one practice and telling the coach ‘I want to sign my kid up’.”
But as for the present, players such as Alannah Dylag and Hannah Burbank set the pace for the Warriors. Burbank, who specializes in lacrosse, made great strides early on in the season, holding firm against the attacks of teams such as Granby Memorial and Haddam-Killingworth.
“She had 19 saves in the half,” said Dylag of the first half in an April 20 game against Granby.
Amanda Valley, meanwhile, scored both of Canton’s goals in that game. The leading scorer from their 2009 junior varsity show, Valley paced the Warriors against long odds. Canton conceded 11 goals in the first half against the Bears, but the Warriors were undaunted, taking pride in their second half defensive effort.
“No one was quitting out there,” said Dylag. “The girls felt pretty positive.” Continued...
“There’s been a lot of growth,” said Dylag after the game. “As a group, they’ve grown. They did learn to talk to each other and play together. Maybe today, they didn’t show it, but this heat was just crushing us.”
Experience, as had been the case all season long, would be the difference. The feeder program will go a long way towards remedying that issue, but the Cougars were simply more familiar with situations throughout the game, reacting before the Warriors could respond.
“Being a new program, they’ve got freshmen with four years of experience playing lacrosse versus my juniors and seniors, who have three,” said Dylag after the April 20 game at Granby Memorial. “It’s tough, especially on vacation week.”
The game against the Cougars was emotional for both teams. Canton’s seniors saw their years of work building a program come to an end. The head coach, meanwhile, noted that he “just said goodbye to 11 girls that I’ve been teaching lacrosse for three years.
“I’ve been teaching the juniors for three years, so they’ll be my first four-year group next year, but I was a little emotional,” said Dylag. “Still am, I think.”
The first year might have caused some growing pains for Canton’s girls lacrosse team, but the future remains bright for the Warriors.
The team went 0-13 in 2010, their inaugural year at the varsity level, but head coach Andy Dylag took positives where they were. According to the head coach, the biggest concern for his team was experience, an issue that should subside in time.
“They grew this season,” said the head coach after a season-ending loss at Haddam-Killingworth. “They learned how to talk and how to play. They knew where to make the passes, but sometimes, they just couldn’t look up fast enough. That’s coming down the road.”
At this stage in the program’s existence, building the foundation comes before records, and the Warriors have laid the ground work for future success. Lacrosse might be a growing sport, especially in regards to girls teams, and the Warriors have worked to build a feeder program. The numbers at the younger levels have been swelling, with Dylag noting after the loss to Haddam-Killingworth that the first- and second-grade levels are pushing 50 players as “in a little town like Canton, with maybe 150 in a grade, and we’ve got a third of them playing lacrosse, that’s pretty outstanding.
“The season has maybe two weeks left, and we’re still taking registrations,” added the head coach. “Parents in town are hearing about it, going to one practice and telling the coach ‘I want to sign my kid up’.”
But as for the present, players such as Alannah Dylag and Hannah Burbank set the pace for the Warriors. Burbank, who specializes in lacrosse, made great strides early on in the season, holding firm against the attacks of teams such as Granby Memorial and Haddam-Killingworth.
“She had 19 saves in the half,” said Dylag of the first half in an April 20 game against Granby.
Amanda Valley, meanwhile, scored both of Canton’s goals in that game. The leading scorer from their 2009 junior varsity show, Valley paced the Warriors against long odds. Canton conceded 11 goals in the first half against the Bears, but the Warriors were undaunted, taking pride in their second half defensive effort.
“No one was quitting out there,” said Dylag. “The girls felt pretty positive.”
The Warriors’ determination was on display one month later, in their season finale at Haddam-Killingworth. The Cougars were bound for the Division II tournament — eventually reaching the quarterfinals — but Canton took their best shots against the hosts, who were celebrating their own Senior Night in oppressive heat.
“There’s been a lot of growth,” said Dylag after the game. “As a group, they’ve grown. They did learn to talk to each other and play together. Maybe today, they didn’t show it, but this heat was just crushing us.”
Experience, as had been the case all season long, would be the difference. The feeder program will go a long way towards remedying that issue, but the Cougars were simply more familiar with situations throughout the game, reacting before the Warriors could respond.
“Being a new program, they’ve got freshmen with four years of experience playing lacrosse versus my juniors and seniors, who have three,” said Dylag after the April 20 game at Granby Memorial. “It’s tough, especially on vacation week.”
The game against the Cougars was emotional for both teams. Canton’s seniors saw their years of work building a program come to an end. The head coach, meanwhile, noted that he “just said goodbye to 11 girls that I’ve been teaching lacrosse for three years.
“I’ve been teaching the juniors for three years, so they’ll be my first four-year group next year, but I was a little emotional,” said Dylag. “Still am, I think.”
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