Elizabeth Smith may be one of just two seniors on the Cicero-North Syracuse girls lacrosse team, but one thing is clear — she can lead the team both on and off the field.
Smith has already established herself as one of the premier players in Section III with two consecutive all-Central New York campaigns.
In the Northstars' season opener against Westhill on Monday, Smith put together a performance that was above even her usual standard.
She racked up seven goals and two assists for a career-best nine points in C-NS' 16-6 victory over the Wolf Pack.
Complete Box Score »
"She's great in every part of the field," C-NS coach Stephanie Prentice said. "She's just really trying to step up and lead the team. We only have two seniors, and one's in goal, which makes it a little bit more difficult to really be a leader in the field... [Smith] is really helping the younger girls organize and figure out where they need to go and what they need to do."
Smith's seven goals matched her previous single game career-high that she set last season.
Junior Miabella Gates tallied four more goals for the Northstars. The offensive duo spurred C-NS to a 4-1 lead at the end of the first quarter and a 10-1 lead at halftime.
Westhill tightened up on both ends of the field in the second half but was ultimately unable to cut into the deficit.
Despite the dominant start, Prentice thought there was still room for improvement for her squad.
"It was our first game, so I think there's always the little kinks to work out," Prentice said. "Just being a young team, it's them figuring each other out, which was awesome to see. They did some things on their own in the field to adjust to things that were happening."
This season marks a year of turnover for C-NS. The Northstars are coming off a 19-2 season in which they fell in the state semifinals, but lost All-CNY Player of the Year Gabby Putman, leading scorer Sophia Nesci and goalie Jillian Howell to graduation.
C-NS (1-0) has another tough non-league contest ahead against South Jefferson on Saturday. The Northstars have taken down the Spartans three straight seasons.
"To still get the big win and the girls really rallying together to do that, I think is such a positive momentum builder for us," Prentice said. "We'll move on to the next one and, just like we do, we'll take that one. Then, when that's over, we'll move on to the next."
Westhill (0-1) has a week to recover before its next bout against Watertown on Monday.
