The girls varsity lacrosse season kicked off on Mar. 3 when the Atoms took on the Falls Church Jaguars.

The Atoms got out to an early lead against the Jaguars 2-0. However, Falls Church would get back into the game and the teams traded the lead until late in the final minutes. The Atoms held onto a 14-13 one goal lead to win the first scrimmage of the season.

The outcome was different for the team against the South Lakes Seahawks in a scrimmage on Mar. 8. The Atoms fell behind against the Seahawks and went on lose the game by a lopsided margin.

The two scrimmages will serve as a model for the team going into the regular season, displaying the strong spots of the team but also the weaknesses.

“I feel confident after the two scrimmages because we showed that we have a natural chemistry that allows us to work together,” senior Sasha Silva said. “We need to back that up with some conditioning and stick work.”

The team showed some strengths such as good chemistry and communication in the first two scrimmages that will be essential for success during the regular season.

“One of our main strengths is that we know what type of players we are and know how we need to work as a team in order to improve,” Silva said.

Despite some bright spots for the team, the Atoms still have many areas for improvement for the regular season games.

“One area that is a weakness is our transitions and attacking,” junior Grace Hatch said. “We have already improved with those things but can still do much better.”

Improving overall before the first regular season game on Mar. 14 against the West Springfield Spartans (results to this game were not available by the day of publication) will be crucial for the Atoms.

“Before the regular season, we could improve on our fundamentals and do better with our on-field communication,” Silva said.

The roster this season looks to replicate the success of last years team that finished with an 11-9 regular season record and delivered a 13-7 Patriot Conference Championship victory over the South County Stallions.

“This year I think that there aren’t any superstar players, just people working hard and working together,” Silva said. “We all value each other as equals and have trust for each other which will help us be successful.”

Following the Atoms’ face off against the West Springfield Spartans, the team will take on the T.C. Williams Titans on Mar. 24 and the Edison Eagles on Mar. 28.