Varsity Girls’ Lacrosse Wins Opening Game

The George School Varsity Girls’ Lacrosse team notched their first win, defeating Perkiomen School 9-4 at their season-opening away game on Friday, April 1, 2022. The team will compete in fourteen regular-season games this season, with seven of those games against Friends Schools League (FSL) opponents. The team’s first home game is planned for Tuesday, April 5 at 4:00 p.m. against Academy of the New Church.

Head Coach Nancy Bernardini looks forward to this season as it will be a challenging one for her young but dedicated squad. “We have a young team with just one senior, but we have a lot of potential. We have a core of talented, enthusiastic, and experienced club players with competitive attitudes,” she said. “The FSL will be tough once again this year with many strong and experienced players returning and teams to face. This is a team game and we will need to count on everyone to work hard and play with the determination to succeed.” After forty-four years of coaching, this will be Nancy’s final season before retiring.

The 2022 squad is more experienced than last year, but still relatively young with a mix of experience heading into this season.  Thirteen players are returning veterans and nine are new squad members. Goalie Ire Thompson ’22 is the team’s only senior.

Rachel Delie ’23 explained that despite being a young team, there is a lot of potential due to the number of talented girls playing this year, “We have made so much progress since the beginning of the season and I can’t wait to see our team continue to grow and master these skills,” she said, “I get excited about surrounding myself with a group of girls who have the same level of determination and drive that I have.”

Ire also sees a team with a lot of raw ability, “The sheer talent that my girls possess is something incredible and that alone is great,” she said. “As a goalie, the excitement for me is knowing that I can be rock-solid for my teammates and that they can lean on me … It allows me to better handle the pressure which is something I think a good teammate should.”

Both team members were reflective when speaking about their coach and mentor. “Over the years Nancy has helped me grow completely into the athlete that I am,” Ire said. “She’s helped me push myself, especially after returning from injury my sophomore year. I am grateful to have known and to have been coached by her.”

For Rachel, Nancy is a figure that brings composure to the chaotic sport of lacrosse. “That’s exactly what Nancy does, she creates this positive and energetic environment that makes you fall in love with the sport. Her determination and coaching skills, along with her own personal passion for the sport, push the team to strive for and reach our goals,” she explained. “She is the hardest working and most dedicated coach I have ever met.”