Weston Warrior lacrosse continues four-year winning streak

The impressive winning streak for the Weston Warrior U10 girls’ lacrosse team continues as the team closed out the South Florida Youth Lacrosse League season with an 8-0 record. The Lady Warrior team has not lost a game in four years and is the pride of the organization.

The team concluded the season with a 13-5 victory over the Fort Lauderdale Landsharks.

Weston Warrior lacrosse is a travel recreational league for boys and girls and has been around for 26 years. The club competes against other lacrosse leagues throughout South Florida and was founded by President Rich Barba. All home games are played at Tequesta Trace Park in Weston.

At the helm for the Warrior club are coaches Medon Michaelides, Bobby Elena Hubby and Fedor de Marchena who have coached multiple teams in the league.

The U10 team comprises 13 players with a few beginners, intermediate players and four travel players who play for the Mad Skillz travel club. The team practiced twice a week and played once a week. The season started in January and concluded in May.

The Weston Warrior U10 girls’ club goes on the attack during a regular-season match that saw the team finish the year with an 8-0 record. (Weston Warrior/Courtesy)

“We had a great season and were undefeated once again and are very proud of the girls who worked extremely hard,” Michaelides said. “Because of our small numbers we had very few subs, so the girls had to play 7 v. 7 and 10 v. 10 matches, which was a challenge. The other coaches in the league are very understanding and cooperative because we are all in the same situation with teaching and promoting the sport.”

The core of the group has bought into the coaches’ philosophy that they are there to work in a disciplined atmosphere during practices. The teammates have followed the cue of the more experienced players.

“Our goal is to get the players to love the game, learn as much as they can, develop their lacrosse IQ and focus on the fundamental skills,” Michaelides said. “We do every practice as a progression as one element builds off another. We want to prepare the players for whatever level of lacrosse they enter in the future. We repeatedly state that hard work pays off and you must grind it out with a lot of heart and grit. The girls have responded well, and we have a great coaching staff.”

The physical and mental aspects of the game start at the practice sessions and are enforced during live competitions. With a small team, there is no hiding under the watchful eyes of the three coaches.

Weekdays

Start your day with the top stories in South Florida.

The coaches’ expectations are for the players to have a willingness to learn, be coachable, work extremely hard and bring a great attitude with an outstanding effort. All three coaches share that same philosophy.

The Weston Warrior U10 girls’ team finished the season in the South Florida Youth Lacrosse League with an 8-0 record. The team winning streak has been extended to four years. (Weston Warrior/Courtesy)

“That’s all we ask of the players, and they love that and have responded well,” he said. “We care less about the score or our record and are more concerned with how they play. We want to make sure that the entire team makes solid contributions to the success of the team. We emphasize conditioning and have a self-imposed rule of no hustle, no play. The girls are passionate about this.”

All Warrior players got an opportunity to play and coaches rotated them in various positions. A majority of the team found the back of the net, which was a goal of the coaches. Players played every contest like it was a 0-0 game.

“We win with class or lose with class and are always good sports,” Michaelides said. “We teach respect for teammates and opponents and at the end of the day this is recreational lacrosse, and our job is to develop them and teach them how to compete.”

Warrior players who played instrumental roles in the undefeated season are Kooper Brown, Emiliana Comacho, Raquel de Marchena, Riley Falk, Sydney Falk, Karlee Landberg, Athena Michaelides, Bianca Murgas, Adriana Solazzo, Adriana Vedmed, Alyssa Vincze, Oliva Wolf and Gabriella Zervos.