Girls lacrosse: Avon looks to challenge themselves

Avon’s Riley Hagan (2) tries to control the ball in front of the Glastonbury net while defender Jackie O’Keefe pressures her.

GLASTONBURY — Avon High’s second-year girls lacrosse coach Sean Coles doesn’t believe in fattening his team’s accomplishments with wins that don’t challenge his players.

So, for the second straight year, Coles has scheduled games that will make his players work for victories. Outside of the league contests that Avon plays, the Falcons will face Joel Barlow, Glastonbury, Simsbury, Conard, Farmington and Hall.

“If you’re looking to compete in the state tournament with teams such as Wilton and Darien, the only way to get better is to challenge your players to play a more difficult schedule,” Coles said.

Avon will compete in the Class M tournament with New Canaan, Wilton, Darien and Joel Barlow – teams that have combined to win nine state titles in the past decade.

The Falcons (2-1, 1-0 NCCC) won two of their first three games with an impressive win over Joel Barlow and a victory over Somers. Avon beat Barlow for the first time since 2006 with a 14-10 decision earlier this month, racing out to a 10-2 lead at halftime.

Undefeated Glastonbury handed Avon its first loss of the season with a 15-5 decision. After Avon scored a goal in the first minute of the game, the host Tomahawks scored nine unanswered goals to take a 9-1 halftime lead.

“We were looking forward to the challenge. Their best players played better than our best players,” Coles said. “They’re good.”

Despite the loss, Avon will be a good team this spring. The Falcons are the defending NCCC champions and have won 13 straight conference games since 2011.

Avon has some skilled scorers up front led by seniors Hunter McCarthy and Maggie Magrini and junior Britt Douglas. McCarthy plans to play at Merrimack College next spring while Magrini will play at Dennison University in Ohio.

McCarthy scored 11 goals in the first three games before turning an ankle midway through the second half of the Glastonbury game. Douglas scored 10 in two games. She missed the Glastonbury game with an injury.

Senior Kaylan Conrad, who led the Falcons to the Class M championship as the goalie on the girls soccer team in the fall, takes the faceoffs and gets help from senior Ali Condon and sophomore Sam Maniatty to get the offense going.

In goal is junior Paige Hammick, a very athletic goalie. “She’s the real deal,” Coles said. The team’s two captains are seniors forward Riley Hagan and defender Haley Graff.

“The nucleus is back from last year and that was a pretty good squad,” he said. “Offensively, we’ll be OK. Defensively is where we will grow and develop over the course of the season.”

“We’re not a team that likes to run from goal to goal,” Coles said. “We’re a team that looks to move the ball and create odd man advantages all over the field. We try to play and get the ball into the stick of the girl with the best opportunity for a 1-on-1 with the goalie.”

All five goals against Glastonbury were 1-on-1 opportunities with McCarthy scoring two and Hagan, Maniatty and Emily Wright scoring goals.

Avon beat Somers in its season-opening contest, 22-3 with McCarthy getting seven goals and Douglass with four. Maggie Magrini added three.

AVON: UPCOMING SCHEDULE

• APRIL: 12: GRANBY; 16: at Ellington, 4:30 p.m.; 19: CANTON; 22: at Conard; 23: at Suffield, 3:45 p.m.; 26: SOMERS; 30: at Granby, 3:45 p.m.

• MAY: 2: SIMSBURY; 3: ELLINGTON, 4:30 p.m.; 9: FARMINGTON; 10: at Canton; 14: SUFFIELD, 3:45 p.m.; 16: HALL

Games begin at 4 p.m. unless otherwise listed.