LAX ACTION HEATS UP Key West Girls on Three-Game Streak

Key West’s girls lacrosse team has a perfect record so far this season. Including a win against Gulliver on Feb. 16, the Conchs are on a threegame winning streak. On Feb. 23, they toppled Westminster Christian 12-4 in The Backyard. Bella Marchiano scored 3 goals and 3 assists in the win. Marchiano also had 8 of the team’s 11 draw controls. Kaitlyn Polito scored 2 goals and an assist. Ada Van Loon and Sophia Felini added 1 goal each and Maria Chaney assisted once. Goalkeeper Courtney Grabus saved 2. Key West forced 16 turnovers against Westminster, keeping the Warriors on the defensive and sealing the victory.

The following evening, it was Palmetto at the mercy of Key West. Chaney scored 5 goals, while Felini added 2 and Van Loon and Ella Baxter each scored 1. Marchiano chalked up 3 assists and Piloto added another in the 10-4 win. Grabus was busy in goal for the Conchs, saving 11, and fellow defender Rachel Owens forced 4 turnovers.

The Lady ’Canes improved their record to 3-1 this week with a pair of wins. The first was a home victory against Coral Reef on Feb. 22. Amelia Perchalski, Shay Stober, Brook El-Koury and Makayla Hann scored in the 6-5 win. On Feb. 24, they traveled to Lourdes Academy, winning 10-8. Perchalski, El-Koury, Sofia Jans, Leyla Ochoa, Edy Kemmer and Iona Holmquist all scored.

In boys lacrosse, Key West played two of their three scheduled games last week, taking on Westminster on Feb. 21 and Coral Reef on the 23rd. A third game against Columbus was canceled. In the Westminster game, Mack Hill scored 1 goal and assisted a Brooks Pellicier goal in the 19-2 loss. Against Coral Reef, Pellicier put 1 in the net. Brody McCandless, Smith Switzer and defender Tate Garr each added 1 for the Conchs in the 8-4 defeat.

Coral Shores played one game last week, falling to Ransom Everglades 12-6. Sully McDonough had 3 of those goals for the Canes plus an assist. Andrew Kumar had a goal and an assist while Matt Patterson and Dominic Gonzalez had a goal apiece. Reece Jahn did a solid job keeping the Hurricanes in the game as he registered 26 saves.

By: Tracy and Sean McDonald