The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School women’s varsity lacrosse team began the 2023 season with a new leader. Head coach Scott Iardella filled in the role to guide the Eagles to another winning season, and he led the team to a 10-3 record.

The season began on Thursday, Feb. 16 against The Benjamin School. This was the first game and home-opener for the Eagles. They fell just short by losing to a score of 16-10. It was a tough matchup for the Eagles, as Benjamin ended up making it into the state championship.

The Eagles got their first win on Feb. 21 at home against St. John Paul II Academy. The matchup was intense as the Eagles won by just three goals. The 12-9 victory made the Eagles 1-1.

Following the two game homestand, the Eagles traveled on the road for the first time of the season to take on Boca Raton High School. Year after year, Boca had been known to be one of the most proficient teams in women’s lacrosse throughout South Florida. The difficult matchup on the road gave the Eagles their second loss of the season, falling to a record of 1-2.

“My favorite part about the season was the bus rides because it was fun and beneficial to bond as a team before games,” attacker Lilly Shortz (55) said.

After the Eagles fell short in their third game against Boca High, MSD went on an eight game winning streak. During this stretch they played against Park Vista High School, Calvary Christian School, Cypress Bay High School, Western High School, University School, Pompano Beach High School, Wellington High School and Cardinal Newman High School. During this stretch, MSD scored double-digit points in every game. The dominant run gave the Eagles a record of 9-2.

Despite seeming so dominant over the weeks, the Eagles took their first loss in over a month on March 30 against King’s Academy. This loss was the lowest scoring game the Eagles had since the game against Boca High. MSD scored just seven goals and allowed 12, giving them a win to loss ratio of 9-3.

The Eagles wrapped up the regular season on the road against Plantation High School. The Eagles took advantage against a struggling Plantation team by getting their first shutout win of the season. The 14-0 win resulted in a 10-3 regular season record for the Eagles.

After a successful regular season, the Eagles entered the regional championship as the No. 2 seed. Their first matchup of the tournament was against three-seeded Park Vista Cobras. This was a rematch from earlier in the season when the Eagles defeated them 17-4. Once again, MSD dominated the Cobras by winning 21-6. This win put the Eagles in the district finals game.

In the district championship matchup, the Eagles played the Boca High Bobcats. Being that MSD lost the last time the two teams met, they were seeking their revenge. However, the Eagles ended up falling just short, losing 15-12. Despite losing, the Eagles still had a chance to play in the regional championship. They hoped to enter the tournament as a wild card.

“The game that stood out to me the most was the district final game against Boca,” defender Gracyn Haynes (2) said. “Boca is our biggest rival and beat us by a lot the last time we played them, so we knew we really wanted to win. At halftime, we were down by around seven goals and then made a huge comeback to score around eight goals before the game ended. We didn’t win, but it was definitely a huge accomplishment for the team to even have come that close. It gave us a lot of motivation and showed the team how strong we are.”

MSD ended up receiving an invite to the regional championship. The Eagles entered the tournament as the No. 4 seed. They were forced to take on the No. 5 seeded Palmetto High School in the regional quarterfinals. The Eagles came out on top against Palmetto with a score of 12-10.

With the No. 1 seed Bobcats winning their game against Seminole Ridge High School, the Eagles played Boca for the third time of the season on Thursday, April 25. In the previous two games, the Eagles fell short both times. Unfortunately for the Eagles, they were unable to end their losing streak to the Bobcats and were unable to come out on top, losing 13-3. The season ended for the Eagles in the regional semifinals against the Bobcats.

“Next season I’m looking forward to seeing how our team gels and playing together,” Haynes said. “I think we are going to have a really strong team that will have a good connection. I think we are going to have a great record and I’m really excited.”

Despite the Eagles falling just short of the state championship, they still had a very successful season. They went on an eight-game winning streak and made it to the regional semifinals. Going into the next season, the Eagles have their eyes set on bringing a state championship trophy back home to MSD.