Lacrosse

For Haddonfield girls' lacrosse midfielder Maddie Kiep, this season is about looking at the big picture. In just its third season as a varsity program, Haddonfield (16-1) earned a No. 1 seed in the South Jersey Group 1 tournament and is the clear favorite to earn its first sectional title. Expectations continue to grow for the Bulldogs. But for Kiep, parts of those expectations have already been met. In three short years, the junior has been a major part of a core group of players that established a tradition and foundation that should carry Haddonfield for years to come.

Top-ranked Maryland beat second-ranked Virginia yesterday, 16-6, to capture the NCAA Division I women's lacrosse championship, defeating the Cavaliers in the final for the second straight year. The triumph at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore gave the Terrapins (21-0) their fifth straight title and extended their victory streak to 27 games. Jen Adams had four goals and an assist for Maryland, while Kristin Sommar, a graduate of North Penn High, added three goals and three assists.

The father and son combination of Randy and Brian Marks of the Villanova lacrosse team recently captured a pair of awards in the Colonial Athletic Association. Randy was named conference coach of the year after guiding the Wildcats to a 10-5 record and a berth in the CAA playoffs. Brian, a senior who plays on the attack, was named player of the year. Brian, a Downingtown graduate, also was named honorable mention all-American, the fourth player in school history to earn that honor.

Genevieve Moyer was one of two Franklin and Marshall players named to the all-Centennial Conference women's lacrosse first team. It was the junior midfielder's first year on the all-league team. Moyer, who earned the conference's player of the week honors once during the Diplomats' 6-9 season, finished with 21 goals and two assists. The Owen J. Roberts graduate was a starter in all 14 games she played. Moyer's teammate, Kellianne Woods, was a key player for the Diplomats' underclassmen-laden defense, which gave up fewer than 10 goals a game.

Top-seeded Unionville received a scare from Souderton yesterday before pulling away for a 14-9 victory at Perkiomen Valley in the quarterfinals of the PIAA District 1 girls' lacrosse playoffs. Unionville will meet Ridley, a 7-5 winner over Penn Wood at Hatboro- Horsham, in Tuesday's semifinals at a site to be announced. The other semifinal match, also set for Tuesday at a yet-to-be-determined site, will pit Downingtown against Marple Newtown. In the other quarterfinal games, Downingtown advanced by beating West Chester East, 16-8, at Garnet Valley, and Marple Newtown topped Boyertown, 7-6, in overtime at Upper Merion.

Before last Thursday night's home game against Shawnee, Cherokee seniors Lindsay Barrie, Katelyn Haverstick, Brittani Keys, Molly McMennamin and Kelsey Overbeck were recognized for being part of the program for four years. Then, the upperclassmen went out and scored one of the more impressive wins in their four years, a 9-8 victory over a previously undefeated Shawnee team whose closest margin of victory in its first nine wins had been by 10 goals. Haverstick had three goals and two assists, while Keys added a hat trick.

Duke University's troubled lacrosse team will play next season, but it will be under strict rules and close monitoring, school president Richard Brodhead said yesterday. The team's season was halted when three players were charged with rape. "I am, I know, taking a risk in reinstating men's lacrosse," Brodhead said in a statement. "The reinstatement is inevitably probationary. " Brodhead canceled the team's season April 5 after an exotic dancer who had been hired to perform at a March 13 team party told police she was raped by three team members at an off-campus house.

Cheltenham High School's girls' lacrosse team was the perfect host to the players from the Benenden School of Kent, England, Monday. The Panthers lost, 13-9. Cheltenham also was the perfect guest while visiting Benenden in England on March 23 and 24. The Panthers lost, 25-5. Winning was secondary to Benenden. Cultural exchange was the important factor here, with players from both benches smiling and crying and hugging when it all ended. As part of an international education program inspired by Cheltenham's players, the Panthers visited England between March 18 and 26. Initially, they lived with families in Devon, then moved to rooms at Benenden, a boarding school for 400 girls.