The girls varsity lacrosse team lost to East Grand Rapids on Wednesday, April 27. The Pioneers outlasted the Rangers 24-17 in the first annual BeNice game. Forest Hills Central along with East Grand Rapids teamed up to support mental health awareness. 

“I was very excited when the girls lacrosse team came to me and told me that they would like to team up with East Grand Rapids for a BeNice game and mental health awareness,” Athletic Secretary Kristi Swayze said. “It showed me how much the coach values mental health in our students because it did take away from some of her practice time and she was willing to sacrifice that to be a proponent for mental health.”

Senior Julia Brown led the Rangers with 5 goals and junior Gabby Hendricks also found the back of the net a few times. This included Hendricks’ acrobatic behind-the-back shot that contributed to the Rangers’ 17 goals. 

“I think our focus needs to shift from offensive to defensive,” senior Julia Brown said. “We need to focus on playing a full game from start to finish; anytime we come out slowly or ease up, the opponent capitalizes on that and we end up trying to play catch-up the rest of the game.”

The Rangers kept it close for most of the first half until the Pioneers were able to pull away. By the time the second half had begun, the Pioneers led 17-8. There is no doubt that the Rangers were disappointed in this performance. Head coach Zoe Mamo wants to take a step back and reevaluate for the remainder of the season.

“It was a tough loss and not our best game of the season in regards to how we play,” coach Mamo commented. “I think moving forward, we just need to refocus as a team for the remainder of the season and really believe in ourselves that we can play with these top teams.”

The Rangers have a tough schedule coming up with teams such as Ann Arbor Skyline, Brighton, and Rockford. There is potential for the girls to face these teams in the state playoffs and they will need to sharpen their fundamentals in order to succeed. 

“We will most likely be facing East Grand Rapids again in the regional tournament and have a few weeks of games coming up,” coach Mamo said.