Bulldogs Girls Lacrosse Enters Postseason On a High Note Under New Head Coach
The Stow-Munroe Falls Girls Lacrosse team ends their regular season with back to back dominating wins to enter the postseason with the #4 seed in the OHSAA Division I Region 2 bracket, all with a new head coach.
Stow’s head coach Sierah Ray, who was a 2014 graduate & four year varsity lacrosse letterman at Stow and 2018 Hiram lacrosse alumni before being the assistant coach under previous head coach Mike Sheehan, took over the program towards the end of the 2023 season. Since taking over, the Bulldogs have gone for a 15-7 record and continued their success as one of the top programs in Northeast Ohio.
When Ray was unexpectedly named head coach midseason, she knew that she had a big role to fill and stood true to her responsibility of giving the girls a fun and memorable ending, despite knowing that practices, games and coaching was going to be different. She gives a lot of credit to her assistant coaches who helped her and her team adjust to finish out the last season. She is beyond proud of her team and is honored to watch them play with so much grit, determination, hustle and most importantly, sportsmanship. Ray’s message to her players is that “the mindset is always the same: control what we can control, give it everything, and remember that your team and coaches have your back” and to “Cherish every minute that you have with your team, any game could be your last. Take some time and recognize what you have accomplished and how special your team is. When it’s all said and done, give yourself something great to look back on.”
The Bulldogs concluded their senior night with a 20-1 win over neighborhood rival Kent Roosevelt. Celebrating their seven seniors, six of them finished with a goal, Kent State commit senior Midfielder Kenzie Gash, who now holds the school record for most career goals, finished with 6 goals, 6 assists, 5 ground balls & 5 draw controls. Baldwin Wallace commit senior Attacker Mady Borowski finished with a goal and 3 assists, Rider commit senior Midfielder Amber Shinsky added 3 goals, 3 assists, 3 grounds balls & 6 draw controls, senior Attacker Alyssa Walter with 3 goals & 2 assists, senior Attacker Tawny Leonardo with a goal & 2 ground balls and senior Defender McKenna Rice with a goal.
Bulldogs underclassmen also contributed positively, with junior Midfielder Kylie Kramer finishing with 4 goals & 4 ground balls, sophomore Midfielder Aubrey Owens with a goal & 4 ground balls and sophomore Alison Reis with 2 assists, 3 ground balls & 3 draw controls. In the net, junior Regan Scott finished her night celebrating her teammate’s goals, while freshman Lauren Harrison closed out the second half with 4 saves.
Following their senior night victory, the Bulldogs finished their regular season with a 16-4 win over Wadsworth. Senior Midfielder Kenzie Gash finished with 6 goals to propel her to 298 goals, while also tallying 8 draw controls and 2 caused turnovers. Junior Midfielder Kylie Kramer followed with 4 goals & 2 ground balls, while senior Midfielder Amber Shinsky added 2 goals, 3 ground balls & 2 caused turnovers. On the defensive side, sophomore Defender Addison Amos led with 4 ground balls, while Shinsky, sophomore Midfielder Aubrey Owens, and senior Attacker Alyssa Walter followed with 3 each.
The Bulldogs finished their 2024 regular season with a 13-5 record (4-2 Suburban League), entering the OHSAA Tournament with the #4 seed in Division I Region 2. The Bulldogs will kick off their tournament at Bulldog Stadium on May 20th at 7pm as they will take on the #15 Mentor Cardinals.