Young Petaluma girls hoping for second-year improvement

The Petaluma High School’ girls lacrosse team is playing its second season as an official California Interscholastic Federation team with a young team that is mostly sophomores, and has high hopes for a successful season after last year’s 4-7 record.

Head coach Sarah Shada and her assistant, Karishma Jain, are relying on their four captains – defensive specialists Nicole Walker (sophomore) and Gina Maddelina (junior) and midfielders Grace Spaletta (so0phomore) and Tiernan Settles (junior), to carry the load and lead the team into SCL competition.

The Trojan squad derives much of it’s offensive firepower from Nichole Costa (sophomore)) and Spaletta, while Emily Herbst (junior) and Jacquelyn McGee (sophomore) provide reliable and stout defense.

Sophomores Kathryn Wood, Caroline Olsen, Grace Ielmorini, Whitney Royal, Sarah Graham, Kiera McMahon, Morgan Hartman, Annika Crowley, Juliana Roper and Madi DeBel make up the core of the team, and look to build good chemistry for their future years wearing the Trojan uniform.

Along with the large group of sophomores, the freshman bunch, including Elyse Osman, Riley Zajonc and Tess Barend are actively competing and have fit in nicely as their careers begin

to develop.

Shada is a Dominican student in her second year of coaching. She played herself at Petaluma from 2012 through 2014, and brings an energetic and youthful style to the girls that will be exciting to watch as their season continues.

(Eamon McMahon is a senior at Petaluma High School and a member of the Trojan track team.)