Wyoming Area had a deep midfield but Emma Kelleher had plenty of skill and experience when she arrived on the girls lacrosse team for preseason practice as a freshman in 2018.
Kelleher, who continues to play midfield on the NEPA Grit travel team, was willing to give attack a try as a way to help her team and to earn playing time as a newcomer.
What Kelleher did not know at the time was how much she would be able to keep using the skills that made her effective in the midfield.
Even though she plays an offensive position, defense remains part of the game for Kelleher, who turned steals into goals 30 seconds into the game and four seconds before halftime Thursday while helping Wyoming Area to a 16-9 victory over host Pittston Area in a Wyoming Valley Conference game between the rivals.
“At first, I was a little bit iffy about it, because I do like being a defender, too,” Kelleher said. “ … Once they put me there in the first game, I loved it.
“As I learned it, I realized, I would still get to use defense as an attack when we lose the ball or after the goalie has a save.”
Even with her hesitation, Kelleher was among those who volunteered to try attack.
“I’m used to playing midfield and that’s what I play for my travel team, but my coaches feel like I do more on the attack side for the school team,” Kelleher said. “We have a good amount of midfielders and they feel like I will do more at attack.
“ … A couple practices in (last year), they said, ‘who wants to step down to attack for the day?’ I volunteered and then after that, they were telling me, ‘you really can help us as an attacker’.
“When they put me out on the attack in the first game, I was still a little surprised.”
The willingness to try a different position on the team landed Kelleher a starting spot from the first game of her freshman season on an experienced and rising team.
Kelleher is the top returning scorer on a Wyoming Area team that has continued to improve. She joins junior midfielder Cassidy Orzel, another player who can score and hurt opponents in other way, as returning second-team Times Leader all-stars.
Orzel scored five goals and Kelleher four in Thursday’s win on Pittston Area’s Senior Day.
Kelleher got her start in the sport as a fifth grader at the Wyoming Seminary Lower School, which she attended through eighth grade.
By the time she played her eighth-grade school season, Kelleher knew she would be attending high school at Wyoming Area so she joined the Valley Laxerz youth club team where she had a chance to play with other young contributors to the Lady Warriors’ current success.
When Orzel won the draw to begin the second half Thursday, one of those Laxerz teammates, Makenzie Switzer, took a pass from Orzel and sent the ball to Kelleher for a goal just 26 seconds into the half.
The Lady Warriors built the lead to 14-1 less than seven minutes into the second half and turned much of the remainder of the game over to reserves.
Orzel led the offense, scoring four of her five goals in the first 22:10. She also had an assist, controlled a team-high 10 groundballs and won 11 of her 15 draws.
Sydney Maguire, who scored twice, and Switzer, who scored once, each had three assists.
Carly Yuhas scored twice. Ava Gonzalez had a goal and two assists, Catie McDonough a goal and one assist and Bri Braccini the other goal.
Mary Kate O’Brien made four saves.
Julia Emmett scored three goals for the Lady Patriots. Lily Savoy added two.
Emily O’Brien had the team’s only first-half goal. Julia Zambetti, Emily Rinaldi and Jess Zaladonis also scored.
Brooklyn Pedana made 22 saves.
Wyoming Area has already matched last season’s school-best conference win total of seven. The Warriors are 7-2 for fourth out of 13 teams in the WVC. They are 9-2 overall to rank second out of 11 teams in the District 2 Class 2A playoff race.
Pittston Area is 2-9 in the WVC and overall, currently holding down the eighth and final spot for the District 2 playoffs, according to the district’s power ratings formula.
