Cape girls’ lax resumes hunt for 12th state title
The Cape girls’ lacrosse team won 11 straight state championships and were hunting for No. 12 last spring when COVID-19 shut down the season. Seven seniors including Talbot Buck, Anna Stancofski, Delaney Zolper, Meredith Lockwood, Sawyer Walker, Lola Messick and Lee Lee Wilson missed out on another state title, Senior Night and high school graduation.
“It was just awful, especially for the seniors,” said coach Lindsey Underwood, who had guided Cape to three state championships since taking over from the Zen Master P.J. Kesmodel.
Cape last lost a lacrosse game to a Delaware team on May 2, 2009, a 13-12 loss at St. Andrew’s. Since then, the Vikings have won 138 consecutive games inside Delaware. That streak also includes 33 straight state tournament games, with championship-game wins over Saint Mark’s, St. Andrew’s, Tower Hill, Charter and Archmere.
Cape traditionally starts the season with a timed mile run; the athletes have to break eight minutes (except goalies) to be considered varsity candidates.
“We have a total of two returning starters going back to 2019,” Underwood said. “We will be very young, but the team is working extremely hard. The seniors have really stepped up as a class to push each other and the younger players.”
Returning goalie Laci Dixon elected not to play her senior season, but Cape has three athletes battling for the job, including Destiny Kusen, Anna Lopez and Mikaylah Lindsay.
“All three could easily be starters,” Underwood said. “We have already talked to them all about working to push each other each day to get better and that the goal is to get all of them as many shots each day as possible. So far, they have all been rising to the occasion.”
Six players from a talented freshman class have made the varsity roster (the situation is still fluid), including Carrie Clausius, Lindsay D’Ambrogi, Montana Jones, Alexi Nowakowski, Lulu Rishko and Anna Lopez.
There are currently 44 players on the combined roster that will later be divided into varsity and junior varsity with a few swing players who will do both.
The Cape varsity is coached by Underwood, Leigh Rupar and Bruce Leibu.
Debbie Windett and Anna Frederick are assistant coaches working with the junior varsity team.
Cape’s schedule is currently 12 games (15 are allowed), which includes St. Mary’s and Worcester Prep from Maryland.
