Kirkwood Lacrosse Team Eyes Opportunity as Host of Mid-Season Tournament

Kirkwood improved to 4-3 on the lacrosse season with a 17-3 win over Whitfield at home this week. The Pioneers face Ladue on Thursday, before joining Webster as co-hosts of an eight team tournament featuring some of the top squads in the city.

While a win over Ladue would mark a significant accomplishment, the Pioneers expect to have a successful tournament this weekend and build momentum ahead of the state finals, which begin one month from now.

Nearly 60 girls came out for Lacrosse at Kirkwood this season, marking one of the strongest turnouts for the sport in school history. The Pioneers field three full squads, with freshman and junior varsity teams complimenting the varsity group of players.

"At the freshman level we focus on teaching the basics of lacrosse, and we play about eight games, which allows the younger players to combine skill development with competition before they move on to JV, where they'll learn more about setting picks, running dodges and advanced playmaking," freshman coach Amanda Sullivan said.

The varsity team seemed to have little trouble handling Whitfield, but coach Whitney Ladwig, who is in her first full season as head of the program, noted that some of the toughest competition is expected from other private schools, where the teams have players coming up playing all the way through elementary school and junior high.

Kirkwood has a pair of senior captains providing leadership, and scoring, this season in Luci Schnider and Kate Zisser. Senior Kelly Mackenzie is also a captain, and anchors the defense. Junior goalkeeper Suzy Bambini received an all-state honorable mention last season and is playing solid in 2011.

The Pioneers have a guaranteed first round match at the Missouri Scholastic Lacrosse Association championships, which will be held at Lindenwood University in mid-May. The single elimination tournament will demand Kirkwood's best. To prepare for the tournament, the team has put together a demanding schedule, including co-hosting the Webster-Kirkwood tournament set for this weekend.

The Pioneers will face Eureka on Friday at 5:15 p.m., and if they get past the Wildcats, they'll face the winner of a contest between Parkway West and Ladue. The likely game between Kirkwood and Ladue will give the Pioneers a chance to compete twice in one week against a Rams team boasting three of the top scorers in the area.

Parkway Central, Rockwood Summit and Cor Jesu round out the tournament lineup, in addition to co-host Webster.

"We need to stay healthy and focus as a team, Ladwig said. "We have the talent to be very competitive this season but we need to work harder as a team to realize our potential."