Let the best players play.
That’s the attitude in the Evanston girls lacrosse program, according to coach Sarah McKenna.
“We don’t have a go-to player,” McKenna said. “Our whole attack is a threat. Our girls just know to look to find the open girl.”
So when it came to crunch time on Monday, and Glenbrook North leading by two goals and holding possession for increasingly longer periods of time, it was Evanston freshman Marnie O’Malley winding her way through three defenders and bouncing it into the corner of the net.
Ultimately, junior Shayna Lutz was a little too much for Evanston, scoring three times after the break to lead Glenbrook North to a 6-5 victory. Coming off a timeout, Lutz attacked the net from the left sideline, putting the game-winner in with 1:47 remaining.
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Sister Naomi Lutz, a freshman, won a final jump ball to secure possession and the win.
But on the lacrosse field, freshman, sophomore, junior and senior are often meaningless titles. Especially for Evanston.
“All I know is it’s good players out there, and that to me is more important,” Glenbrook North coach Tom Rosenbaum said. “If it’s a freshman, that’s awesome, because it’s only building the game and only improving the game. More power to them.”
O’Malley cradled the ball as much as any Evanston player on a cold evening.
She even took draws.
“It’s a skill she’s good at, regardless of her age or anything else,” Wildkits senior co-captain Charlotte Rees said.
On other nights, senior co-captain Lauren English or another teammate takes them.
“We just play who’s got it that day,” McKenna said.
“We’re not battling it out in practice,” English said. “We work together.”
English and Rees said that O’Malley and fellow freshman midfielder Sarah Skidmore have fit in seamlessly and earned their playing time.
“They’re definitely fitting in well. They’re playing great. They deserve their starting positions,” English said. “Everyone on our team loves them.”
Per McKenna’s policy, only Rees and English were allowed to talk to the media.
Prior to Monday’s game, O’Malley and Skidmore had experienced only routs at the varsity level. The Wildkits’ four wins each came by at least 12 goals. Their prior three losses each came by at least seven, including a 17-0 drubbing by Loyola and a 13-3 loss to New Trier.
“We learned real quick what we needed to work on,” McKenna said. “You can’t play better than seeing the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the state.”
Monday, on the other hand, was a dogfight. Both teams dropped passes. Both goalies stymied shooters. All the while, the wind whipped at William Lutz Stadium.
Afterward, McKenna told the Wildkits that this is what they can expect to face every night the rest of the season.
One thing is for sure: 6-5 is a lot better than 14-5 and 12-3, the margins by which the Wildkits fell to the Spartans last season.
“They’re an up-and-coming team,” Rosenbaum said. “This team gave us everything they had.”
Rosenblum is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter: @jonahlrosenblum