Lexington’s girls lacrosse team has had to prove itself all over again this season. 

It’s rare for a defending state champion to have to earn its place, but when a team loses nine seniors, the focus shifts from defending its title to building something new. 

“I don't know that it's necessarily replacing as much as it is just trying to find the different aspects of each girl and pulling out her strength,” Wildcats head coach Tiffany Tortorello said. 

Tortorello has called this year a growing season for the team. Returning players are stepping into bigger roles, and new faces are having to learn the game at a speed faster than they ever have before. 

It wasn’t pretty at first. The Wildcats started the year (1-2) with losses to Bishop England and Spartanburg, who the team beat for the state title last season. 

“I think those games were good early competition for us just to kind of get our feet wet and see where we were,” Tortorello said. “ It also gave us a little bit more of like a humbling experience to see you are not just going to get anything handed to you. You've got to work for it, and you've got to put in the effort. … I think the girls have adjusted.”

Since then, Lexington has won 12 straight games and clinched its second consecutive district title. The Wildcats dominated the district, outscoring teams 133-22 in seven games. 

During its win streak, Lexington has prided itself on playing team ball and making minor adjustments each game. Every little tweak makes the team better and builds momentum ahead of the playoffs. 

 ”We're using everybody on the field,” Tortorello said. “We play as a team. We win as a team. We learn as a team.”

Lily Sundell is the veteran and star scorer on the team. She leads Lexington with 84 goals through 14 games and has a team-high 30 assists this season. As the only senior, she is one of the more vocal leaders on the team and receives a lot of praise from the competition. 

“Her work ethic and drive have helped her become successful,” Tortorello said. “ Some teams call her the quarterback of our team because she kind of runs the offense.”

McKenna Bowen, Ella Copeland and  Jada Van Sickle are other key pieces of the puzzle for Lexington. 

Bowen spent most of her time playing defense last year, but has stepped up to play both sides of the ball and take draws this season. She is second on the team in points, behind Sundell. 

Copeland plays middie for the Wildcats. She is also playing both sides of the ball and has emerged as the team’s third scoring option. 

Van Sickle moved from midfield to defense full-time and has been a revelation for the team. She helps create a lot of extra possessions by forcing turnovers and scooping ground balls. 

Freshman Lauren Crowley is the team’s primary goalie, despite this being her first year of varsity ball. Her inexperience has not been an issue so far, with a string of strong performances already under her belt. 

With such a young group, a lot of leadership responsibilities are carried out by committee. 

 ”They all have a voice, and they all have that inner leadership that's important,” Tortorello said. “Whether you're a captain or not, you matter, and what you say matters. So, if you have something to say that's gonna benefit the team, speak up.” 

Lexington concludes its regular season this week with a pair of games against Aiken and James Island. The Wildcats defeated Aiken  16-8 on April 21. The team plays James Island on Friday. 

Tortorello said she wants to see the group finish the year more connected than ever. 

While it’s only natural for people to look for Lexington to defend its title in the playoffs, the Wildcats will take things one day at a time. 

The high school lacrosse postseason begins on April 27.

Lexington will learn its matchup when all the regions are decided and the brackets are set. 

“ You can't look at the next game until you finish the first game,” Tortorello said. “ We've kind of just been pacing ourselves. Obviously, we all want to win, but the biggest thing is just taking it game by game and working on the little things to make sure everything comes together.”