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YAIAA girls' lacrosse lookahead


Following Kennard-Dale's PIAA quarterfinal loss to Harriton, the furthest any YAIAA team has gone in the sport's five years, Rams coach Kelly Wetzel wasn't necessarily disappointed. He thought this could just be the beginning, not only for his team but the rest of the league.

Here's a look at what the Rams and the YAIAA might have to look forward to in 2014:

1. Kennard-Dale (23-3, 10-0 in 2013): It will be a strong junior class for Kennard-Dale, as leading scorer Morgan Day will be back, along with Lyndsey Duty. The two should give the Rams an unmatched one-two scoring punch. They'll also have a seasoned goalie, as Emily Deaver spelled All-YAIAA goalie Alana Pietra at times. Deaver will be tested again, as the Rams also must replace standout defender Abi Pietra.

2. Susquehannock (8-7, 5-6): The young Warriors team pushed Kennard-Dale to overtime in the regular-season finale, and many of those players will be back. Katelyn Welch and Ashley Valway, like Kennard-Dale's combo, will be juniors.

3. South Western (17-3, 10-0): The Mustangs used a freshman goalie, Laura Silver, this past season and also will return Callie Kavanaugh for her fourth and final year in the program. There will be plenty of turnover in the lineup, though. Sydney Szparaga is headed to Siena, and Jess Kopenhaver and Amy Spigelmyer also were lost to graduation. The Mustangs won four straight Division I titles with them around, but the presence of Kavanaugh and Silver should help their pursuit of a fifth straight division title.

4. York Catholic (14-5, 8-2): The Irish lose four-year player Alexis China, but she was surrounded by many who will be back for 2014. One is Jess Mazzur, who helped York Catholic get back to the YAIAA championship game for a second straight year. Lindsay Givens also was an all-star as a junior attacker in 2013.

5. West York (11-6, 6-4): The Bulldogs lose player of the year Allee Ilgenfritz, who'll be at La Salle with K-D's Nicole Black. They also graduated goalkeeper Abby Cox. Efficient scorer Sara Sweitzer will be back, though, to give West York some punch in the competitive Division II that includes K-D, York Catholic and Susquehannock.