The girls varsity lacrosse team began its second season in program history this week. On Tuesday, the Lady Rangers dominated the Wolves of Okemos 24-7 in the season opener. They then followed with a win on Friday 18-3 over Grandville. The Rangers have three regular-season games scheduled before a two-week break for spring break. The girls are off to a hot start and head coach Zoe Mamo is very optimistic for the rest of the season.

“The girls worked great together last night, and I saw a lot of great things on the field which makes me excited for the season,” coach Mamo said. “I think the girls have a ton of potential to do great in conference play this season if they continue to work together as they did yesterday.”

Juniors Shannon Murphy and Gabby Hendricks have proven themselves to be key factors for the Ranger offense. Both of these girls scored multiple goals in each of the first two games of the season; freshman Jordan Koning also pitched in with a goal of her own. 

This season, senior Sophie Hartl has already seen improvement on the attacking side of the field. The Rangers’ offense has been dominant, which Hartl thinks will really benefit them in the conference games this year. 

“The first two games have definitely shown me that the team has improved from last year. We have a very good attacking lineup, which will benefit us in some of those harder games coming up after spring break,” Hartl said. 

This season, the Rangers are looking to prove themselves in the state of Michigan. It is only the second year that Forest Hills Central has had its own girls varsity lacrosse team and it is evident that these ladies have a chance to compete with the best. 

“This year, I’m looking forward to conference play. Being a new team, we have yet to prove ourselves to the state and a lot of people underestimate us,” senior Julia Brown said. “We have some phenomenal players and if we can work as a unit, we have the potential to be really successful in the conference and state tournaments.”

The Rangers start the year 2-0 and are looking to continue upon their success. In order to improve, the girls are looking to keep communicating on the defensive side of the field. 

“I think to prepare for the rest of the season, we need to practice some more high-pressure situations to prepare for harder teams like Rockford and East Grand Rapids, as well as working on talking on defense,” Sophie said.