Freeport building winning culture

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A conference switch has positioned Freeport girls’ lacrosse for some instilled confidence for a program seeking resurgence.

The Lady Red Devils moved down to Conference V with teams that second-year coach Anabel Lopez believes Freeport can better compete with following a 2-7 season in League IV last year. The change is already paying dividends with Freeport (2-1) already matching last year’s win total through four conference games with convincing victories against Hempstead, 15-2, and Sewanhaka, 15-3.

“It will give us a chance to go up against teams that are more at our skill level,” Lopez said of Freeport’s new league.

Freeport entered the season with big shoes to fill after graduating 10 seniors. Lopez has turned to four captains to take on leadership roles in seniors Lenox Pinczehelyi, Perla de La Cruz, Raeesah Lawal and junior Kelcey Woodward.

Pinczehelyi, an Albright College commit, and Woodward are Freeport’s main offensive weapons with both tallying 10 goals through the first four games. Lawal anchors the defense and De La Cruz patrols the net in her first season as starting goalie. “They all bring something different to the table,” Lopez said of her captains.

The Lady Red Devils surrendered just five goals in the dominating wins against Hempstead and Sewahaka led by Lawal. Seniors Daniela Trujillo and Janiya Davidson have along with Lawal have also contributed to the defensive effort in front of De La Cruz early in the season.

Senior attacker Ariel Rengifo and Hayley Matthews, a Dominican College commit, have also stepped up as offensive leaders with Pinczehelyi and Woodward. Matthews has height and speed that has allowed her to dominate at times on the draw circle to give Freeport extra offensive possessions.

Complementing Freeport’s senior production has been the emergence of freshmen Sameerah Lawal on defense and Kayla Stuparich on attack. Stuparich’s older sister Kerry also plays attack and scored a goal in Freeport’s dominating March 27 home win against Hempstead.

Freeport is facing an unusual schedule this season that features the first five league games at home with the remaining on the road. The Lady Devils have their final home game this Thursday against Bellmore-Kennedy at 4:30 p.m. with senior day festivities scheduled before the opening draw.

In addition to seeking strides on the field, Lopez is also looking for her 21 players to shine in the classroom. She noted that de La Cruz sets a particularly strong example in balancing academics and athletics by ranking 12th in her class while also participating in the school’s ROTC program.

“We try to instill in them the importance of being a student first,” said Lopez, who played lacrosse at Freeport from 2004 to 2008.

Lopez wants to eventually bring Freeport girls lacrosse back to its glory days of the 1990s when it competed for county titles. She said Athletic Director Jonathan Bloom has been instrumental in proving necessary support to position the team for improvement.

“I see a tremendous growth in the program,” said Lopez, who became coach a year after a winless 2017 season. “We have a lot of potential.”