No. 22 Ranked Smithtown West Lady Bulls Team Preview

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Smithtown West is on the heels of playing in the LILJ High School Winter League where they made it to the Dragonfly Championship Game. Last season the team went just 5-9 and missed the playoffs in Suffolk’s Class A division. Head Coach Pete Klement believes that if everything goes right this season then they should find themselves in the playoffs. The Bulls have some upperclassmen returning this season, but they also have a lot of young, talented players who are poised to have big seasons.

The upperclassmen on the offensive unit that are returning are Nikki Menella (Hofstra), Samantha Jones, Meghan Theofield (Scranton), and Laura Luikart (Pace). Menella is a do-it-all midfielder and is coming off of an outstanding winter league where she recorded 29 points and had 19 ground balls. Jones was second on the team in points last spring with 29. The duo of Luikart and Theofield combined to tally 35 points last season. Last year, midfielder Jolie Schiavo had an incredible season as an eighth grader. She had 26 goals and 12 assists for 38 points. The points and goals both were a team high. Expect more amazing things from her this season as she comes back for her second year of varsity. Freshman Kate Theofield is also poised for another big year after posting 22 points as an eighth grader. Her 15 assists last season was good for the most on the team. Super sophomore Bella Dantuono is another vital part of their offensive unit at attack. As a freshman she ended last season with 22 points. One young gun who didn’t see much time last year but should have an increased role is Ashley Menella who got a lot of action this winter and took a lot of the draw controls. The defensive end of the field is where Smithtown West will look to improve this season. They allowed over 15 goals eight times which is a number they definitely would want to reduce. The goaltending responsibilities will be held by Sophomore Erin Fels, but eighth grader Maribella Marciano may have an opportunity to get some time in the cage. Marciano got plenty of time during the winter league and made 20 saves. Some of the top teams in Suffolk County are on the schedule for Smithtown West this year. A few key games at home will be against Sayville (4/1), (Bayport 5/2), and Rocky Point (5/7). Some notable games on the road include at Comsewogue (4/4), Mt. Sinai (4/25), and West Babylon (5/5). Some notable alumni have played in the Smithtown West lacrosse program and are currently doing big things on the field at some top flight schools. A few of their recent alumni are Grace Langella (Hofstra), Taylor Menella (Hofstra), Janine Suris (Florida), and Nichole Marshall (JMU).[/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https://vimeo.com/676452991″ el_width=”80″ align=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row]