Southeastern Pa. Girls' Lacrosse Guide

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Players to Watch

Halley Barnes, attack, Sr., Garnet Valley. In 2011, Barnes amassed 118 goals and 40 assists as a junior team captain. Committed to Rutgers and widely considered one of the top recruits in the nation, Barnes will be a major factor in the Jaguars' bid for a second straight PIAA title.

Allyson Heavens, midfield, Sr., Garnet Valley. Super fast and versatile, Heavens is another blue-chip recruit (Penn State-bound) for the Jags. She scored 64 goals and added 40 assists as a junior and was named a U.S. Lacrosse All-American. She is ranked the No. 2 recruit in the class of 2012 by ESPNHS.

Katrina Geiger, midfield, Sr., Haverford High. Geiger scored a team-high 92 goals, with 22 assists, as a junior and was a first-team all-Central League selection. Geiger's production will be key yet again for the Fords in a league stacked with talent. She'll play at Loyola (Md.) in college.

Maddy Lynch, midfield, Jr., Springfield (Delco). Lynch led the Cougars with 87 goals and 26 assists for a team-high 113 points last year. She highlights a roster capable of making serious noise at every level (league, district, state) this season. She's Princeton-bound.

Kelly Cross, midfield, Sr., Upper Dublin. Cross, a Syracuse recruit, scored 95 goals and added 54 assists for the Cardinals last year, helping Upper Dublin reach its first PIAA tournament.

Brooke Kiley, midfield, Sr., Germantown Academy. Kiley, who has committed to Penn, returns as the Patriots' leading scorer from last year but will have her hands full in trying to help the program to an Inter-Ac League crown. GA went just 5-15 overall and 2-10 in the league.

Emily Pillion, defense, Sr., Conestoga. A James Madison signee, Pillion is a returning Central League first-teamer and was the Pioneers' defensive MVP in 2011. ESPN ranks her as the No. 4 defender in the class of 2012 nationally.

Ally McLaughlin, defense, Sr., Harriton. McLaughlin ranks as the No. 49 recruit in the nation (ESPNHS) and is considered one of the better defenders nationally. She will attend Division III Pomona (Calif.) to compete in both lacrosse and cross-country. She was a first-team all-Central League selection and U.S. Lacrosse Academic All-American as a junior.

Teams to Watch

Garnet Valley. The defending PIAA champion returns 10 starters and touts seven Division I recruits, six all-league selections, and blue-chippers in Halley Barnes (Rutgers) and Allyson Heavens (Penn State). AnnaElise Morello (Yale) is back after dishing 108 assists last season. Oh, and the Jaguars rank 10th in ESPNHS's national poll.

Archbishop Carroll. Winner of 11 consecutive Catholic League crowns, Carroll is the preeminent program in District 12. The Patriots opened the season with a 16-8 loss to Garnet Valley, but that shouldn't deter them. They're still in good shape to build on an 18-4 season and a second-round appearance in the PIAA tourney.

Downingtown East. The Cougars (25-2 last year) lost standout Kelly Devlin, now at North Carolina, who graduated with career totals of 202 goals and 236 assists. Still, the defending District 1 and Ches-Mont League champs should remain a force this season. Mackenzie Rafferty, a Delaware recruit, leads the attack. A loss in the 2011 PIAA title game still lingers.

Springfield (Delco). One of four teams to share the Central League crown last year, Springfield has the talent to separate from the pack this season. Michelle Gildea, a Towson recruit, leads the defensive unit. Maddy Lynch (87 goals last season), headed to Princeton, will spur the team's offense. The Cougars can give a rival such as Garnet Valley some trouble.

Great Valley. Great Valley returns at least eight key players from a team that last year ran to the PIAA semifinals, going 21-4 along the way. Midfielder Ali Karwoski, who was the area's leading goal-scorer with 132 and added 23 assists last year, leads the pack. The Patriots edge Downingtown East as the preseason favorite to win the Ches-Mont and have state-title aspirations.

Episcopal Academy. Episcopal went undefeated en route to an Inter-Ac crown and 18-3 overall and claimed the Pennsylvania Independent Schools state championship last year. The team lost four Division I players to graduation, but there's no reason to pick against a program that has won its last seven league titles - and 11 of the last 12.

- Evan Burgos

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