Cape girls’ lax competes in prestigious tournament

Fresh off its 13th consecutive state title, the Cape Henlopen High School girls’ lacrosse team rubbed elbows with some of the nation’s elite at the Girls’ High School Lacrosse National Championship held June 29-July 1, in Farmington, Conn.  

The invitation-only tournament featured nearly 30 teams, some of which are the nation’s top-rated girls’ high school lacrosse programs, with the majority hailing from the Northeast. Each team was guaranteed to play four games, with bracket winners advancing to a single-elimination competition. Connecticut state champion New Canaan High School beat New Hampshire’s Bishop Guertin 15-4 to win the tournament.    

It was Cape Henlopen’s second straight trip to the tournament, where the Vikings went 2-2 in 2021. This year, Cape played in an especially challenging bracket that included a pair of top 20 teams in the country, as ranked by USA Lacrosse Magazine. The Vikings managed a tie and three hard-fought losses during this year’s tournament.

Cape Henlopen head coach Lindsey Underwood said, “I was extremely happy with the way the team played against some of the top teams in the country. We played fast, and our defense really stepped up against some of the best kids in the country. We saw different and much more high-pressure defensive sets played against us and were able to make adjustments and move the ball well on attack.”

The tournament was also crawling with about 100 college lacrosse coaches who were evaluating the talent for upcoming recruiting classes. “The impressive part about this event was the number of Division I head college coaches there,” said Underwood. “The exposure the girls got at this tournament was significant. I know they did their part in contacting coaches ahead of time, and we definitely had all the coaching seats full at some of our games.”

In perhaps its most daunting encounter, Cape was pitted against Connecticut’s Darien High, which ended the 2022 campaign as the fifth-ranked team in the U.S. and has the most girls’ lacrosse state championships in Connecticut history with 11. Darien, which fell to No. 4 New Canaan in the state finals, is loaded with star players who will play Division I lacrosse, but their roster was highlighted by Chloe Humphrey, a rising senior who has committed to NCAA champion University of North Carolina.  

Despite Darien’s credentials, Cape Henlopen seemed unfazed by the fanfare and took an early 2-1 lead after goals from sisters and first-team offensive all-staters Ella and Lulu Rishko. Molly Mendes popped in a goal with an assist from Maren Buckaloo, and Cape led 3-2. Lexi Nowakowski scored late in the first half to give Cape its final lead at 5-4. For the rest of the game, Humphrey proved why she is the nation’s top 2023 recruit as she dazzled the crowd with her instinctive passing, natural speed and tenacious ability to go to goal. Despite a gallant effort by the Cape defense, Humphrey ended up with six goals and the Vikings eventually lost 17-7.  Anna Lopez and Mikaylah Lindsay split time as goalkeepers throughout the tournament and collectively tallied nine saves against an aggressive Darien offensive attack.  

In another matchup against a top 20 national foe, Cape went head-to-head with No. 19 Ward Melville from New York’s Long Island, falling 12-7. Cape opened the action against tournament semifinalist Lincoln Sudbury High School out of Boston’s MetroWest area, losing 12-7 and only trailing 6-5 at the half. In its tightest matchup, Cape battled New Jersey perennial powerhouse Moorestown to a 6-6 tie. The Quakers have won an unprecedented 25 state titles and lost in this year’s New Jersey Group 3 finals.  

Pacing Cape Henlopen’s scoring during the four games was Virginia Tech-bound Ella Rishko, Delaware’s 2022 Player of the Year, who netted 10 goals. Mendes, a fellow first-team all-state selection who will play college lax at Rollins College in Florida, tallied eight goals. Other scorers included Lulu Rishko with three goals and Buckaloo with two, and scoring one goal apiece were Nowakowski, Landon Diehl, Lexi Truitt and Lina Frederick.  

Underwood, who has won five state championships at Cape and was the 2022 Henlopen Conference Coach of the Year, said, “The team works extremely hard. The players know the expectations, and come in fit and ready to go each March 1. They have really come together to create a family in the program, and it shows on the field. I am very proud of this team this year. They were able to work hard and have fun. The support the program receives from the parents and community is a big part of our success as well.”

Cape finished its season at 17-1 this year, capped off by a 16-4 victory over Tatnall in the Delaware state finals.