With the cancellation of spring high school sports seasons, athletes have had to adapt to the inability to play the sport that they loved. The playing careers of seniors ended abruptly. Teams have tried to adjust and make the most of the situation. The Parkland girls lacrosse team is one of those teams.

“Now we zoom [meet] once a week and break down film, play games (i.e. bingo) that the seniors came up with and just talk,” said head Parkland head coach Dawn Cipolla. “I try not to think about the season too much because it just makes me sad thinking of the what ifs and all the possibilities of what could have been.”

Entering the 2020 season, Parkland was the defending Eastern Pennsylvania Conference champion. The Trojans had won four district titles in a row and five of the last six overall, qualifying for the PIAA Class 3A state tournament each year. They had graduated a strong core group, but had a large chunk of returning experience from the 2019 squad.

“This is a very special group of seniors,” Cipolla said. “They have been working hard for four years, both in season and during the off season. They were excited to continue their success by working hard, striving to be the best team and continuing to show their Parkland pride.”

In total, there were nine seniors on the 2020 team. Aside from a few that were injured, Cipolla expected a lot of contributions from the group as a whole and was excited to see what they could do as senior leaders.

“Our starters were Emily Leiby on attack, Jill Bushinsky midfield, Kristyn Kleinhenz and Erica Steele defense, and Julia Beman and Kayla Geraci as our goalies,” said Cipolla. “Another senior was Elyse Snover, who was injured during the middle of last season. Elyse would have seen playing time on defense.

“This was Sarah Garcia’s first season playing, but with her quick feet and speed, she would have been a help defensively. Kayla Kinney, who was running track and playing lacrosse, would have given us some help in the midfield.”

The Trojans were at least able to compete in one contest before everything shut down. Parkland scrimmaged against CB South in early March. Cipolla liked what she saw from her team.

“The offense gelled like no other offense we have coached,” Cipolla said. “They moved the ball quickly. They cut with intent and had great off-ball movement. Our defense communicated, slid when it needed to, scooped up ground balls with ease and worked the doubles like we have never seen them do before.

“In goal, Kayla Geraci made amazing saves and had quick clears, and that was just the beginning, or so we thought. Unfortunately, Julia Beman suffered an injury earlier in the offseason and was unable to play in the scrimmage. We were very excited to see the contributions she would have made on the field with her great goalie instincts and communication.”