The Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse team is making a comeback this new season, bringing forth new hope and boasting new coaches, Mr. Khodorkovsky and Ms. Sornoza.
The two coaches have experienced much success, having coached the Boys’ Varsity Soccer team. This fall, they were just minutes away from claiming the PSAL Championship against James Madison at Randall’s Island. The coaches’ chemistry has clearly translated over to the Girls’ Lacrosse team, which is off to a 5-1 record.
The team started off strongly with a resounding 11-5 home victory over John Dewey High School, followed by wins over South Bronx Preparatory, Christopher Columbus Campus, Lehman Campus, and KIPP NYC College Prep. It is clear that this year’s team has made significant strides from last year and, more importantly, is having fun once again.
“My favorite part about playing lacrosse is the family environment that surrounds our team,” said senior Francesca Susi. “Even through the difficulties of having three different coaches in three years and not knowing what the future would hold for the team, we managed to endure and have seemingly come out better than we once started. This team is truly irreplaceable in my heart.”
Coach Khodorkovsky commended Susi, as well as other veteran players on the team, Helen (Eleni) Economakos, Jasmine Abu, and Kaitlyn Frances for setting a standard of hard work and dedication to which newer and younger members can aspire. He also credited them with helping the two new coaches gain a better understanding of the sport, which allowed them to implement rigorous training techniques used in soccer.
“My experience with the team as a first year lacrosse coach has been great,” said Coach Khodorkovsky. “The team has been very successful this season because they have committed to working hard and sacrificing for each other.”
Of course, all thriving teams need players having all-star caliber seasons. Nowhere is this more true than in the case of Abu, who leads the team with 30 goals through 6 games and is second in the PSAL in goals scored.
“As this is my third year playing lacrosse here at Fort Hamilton, I feel incredibly proud to be winning games with such a great community,” Abu said. “Knowing that we worked hard to get where we are right now and how that hard work is paying off, we’re very confident in continuing our great start and onto the rest of the season.”
In addition, Frances has 12 goals and 4 assists, while Susi and Economakos have been outstanding midfielders, providing much needed defense and supporting the attack. Vasiliky Economakos and Abigail Doherty have been excellent leaders on defense, and Heba Idris has proven to be a dependable goalie who continues to improve with experience.
While it is still early in the season, there is a buzz surrounding Fort. While Coach Khordorkovsky is “proud of what the girls have accomplished so far,” he looks forward to seeing how ready the team will be when the playoffs arrive in May.
