WASHINGTON SCHOOLGIRLS LACROSSE ASSOCIATION DIVISION II

The Team to Beat: Issaquah

The Eagles graduated just one senior and had one girl relocate from their 2009 Division II state-finalist team. That leaves 10 returning starters for a squad that went from two wins in its first season to 14 wins in its second year as a varsity program.

Of all the teams in Division II, Issaquah is the only one that returns three first-team All-State players. Issaquah is also just one of three Division II programs to have had a player participate on last summer’s prestigious Washington State Regional Team.

The Eagles will be led by junior attack Katie Mincin, a first-team All-State selection as a sophomore and regional team veteran. She’ll be joined by fellow returning first-team All-State players in senior goalie Teagan Cameron and junior middie Brittany Hogan.

Contenders: Kennedy, Eastside Catholic, Mercer Island II, Bainbridge Island II, Lakeside II, Snohomish II.

Kennedy did not graduate a single player of last season’s quarterfinalist team. The Lancers return their entire team, including one of the state’s top players. Senior middie Natalie Merrill was another player who made the regional team, and she is the unquestioned leader of Kennedy lacrosse. She’ll be joined by senior defender Katie Jovanovich and senior goalie Sofie Morales.

Eastside Catholic graduated five seniors and returns eight starters from their quarterfinalist team. The Eagles also showed tremendous improvement year-over-year compared with the 2008 season, and they also will be led by a standout performer. Junior Alex Foreman was a first-team All-State attacker last year, but she will be moving into the midfield in 2010. Junior middie Kate Slyngstad and sophomore middie Lauren Breynaert will also be impact players.

There will be six programs fielding varsity teams in Division I and Division II this season, and Mercer Island, Bainbridge Island, Lakeside and Snohomish are expected to be the strongest among them. All four programs will have strong Division I teams, and that usually means a higher level among the players who don’t make the cut and filter down to Division II. Mercer Island II won the Division II title last season, Lakeside II and Snohomish II each reached the semifinals, and Bainbridge II had a strong squad that suffered a tight upset loss early in the playoffs.

Sleeper: Bellevue East

The Chieftains graduated three seniors and anticipate seven returning starters from last season’s quarterfinalist team. Bellevue East gave eventual champion Mercer Island II all it could handle for most of that quarterfinal playoff game before fading in the end. The Chieftains return two first-team All-State players in junior defender Kristina King and sophomore middie Sophie Wolz, who is moving from attack. Bellevue East also has a standout sophomore attack in Sapphire Jewell, who head coach Melissa Coppess called the most determined player she has ever coached.

Top Players: Lauren Breynaert, MF, Eastside Catholic; Teagan Cameron, G, Issaquah; Alex Foreman, MF, Eastside Catholic; Brittany Hogan, MF, Issaquah; Sapphire Jewell, Att., Bellevue East; Kate Jovanovich, Def., Kennedy; Kristina King, Def., Bellevue East; Natalie Merrill, MF, Kennedy; Katie Mincin, Att., Issaquah; Sofie Morales, G, Kennedy; Kate Slyngstad, MF, Eastside Catholic; Maddie Soukup, Att., Ballard; Allie Willson, MF, Tahoma; Sophie Wolz, Att., Bellevue East.

Preseason Top 10: 1. Issaquah, 2. Kennedy, 3. Eastside Catholic, 4. Mercer Island II, 5, Bainbridge Island II, 6. Lakeside II, 7. Snohomish II, 8. Bellevue East, 9. Overlake, 10. Klahowya.

Notes: There will be an all-time high of 20 teams in Division II this season, divided into two 10-team conferences. Bellevue East, Eastside Catholic, Issaquah, Lake Sammamish II, Mercer Island II, Mukilteo, Overlake, Skagit Valley, Snohomish II and Wenatchee will compete in the Northeast Conference. Auburn Mountainview, Bainbridge Island II, Ballard, Graham-Kapowsin, Holy Names II, Kennedy, Klahowya, Lakeside, North Kitsap and Tahoma will all compete in the Southwest Conference.