The Cardozo girls varsity lacrosse team recently opened up their season with a win against Maspeth High School. Under Coach Kreisler, the team won with a score of 15-3, opening the season with high energy.
Goals were made by Nandita Persaud, Khloe Im, Brianna Ackerman, Olaaneese Saenzdeviteri, and Raya Osagie. Coach Kreisler started coaching the team after coming back from the Covid-19 pandemic. He was granted the position in Feb. 2022 after completing the standard application and undergoing an interview process.
In addition, he is advisor for the lacrosse club, which meets every Thursday after school. The club serves as a useful way to spread interest in the varsity team, while preparing interested students for the sports season. This year in particular, the team gained many new players.
Once the season starts in mid-March, practice is every day after school, even on Saturdays. Coach Kreisler said this is because, “A lot of the girls who would come, maybe they’ve never played a sport or they have never even played lacrosse.” Once the team settles in, he tries not to have practice any more than five days, unless necessary. An extra day of practice is typically used to make up for days lost from a holiday break or a game.
This year, Coach Kreisler has “seen a lot of improvement” in his returning players. He explained he can tell when his players have put in the work during the off-season, spending time at the gym or practicing lacrosse drills. “A lot of the girls went from looking like they kind of know the game, to now showing great finesse and professionalism,” Coach Kreisler shared.
Lacrosse is widely considered a difficult sport due to the necessary hand-eye coordination, agility, and defensive difficulty. Furthermore, the rules for girls high school lacrosse were even recently changed. To keep the team going during difficult games, Coach Kreisler reminds them of the work they have put in. He wants his players to be able to enjoy their victory.
Helping Coach Kreisler lead the team are this year’s captains: Yana Israil, Nandita Persaud, and Brianna Ackerman. While Israil and Persaud are both seniors, Ackerman is a junior. The three were picked for their outstanding leadership, on and off the field.
“My captains definitely have helped set [practice] up and now they all are in charge of their own position,” Coach Kreisler said.
Each captain has their own space they are in charge of, according to their respective positions on the field. Persaud is the midfield captain where both defense and attack are played, and players help to transition the ball in between. Israil is the specific captain working on defense, and Ackerman is the captain working on attack with the players.
To have a full team, there would need to be a minimum of 24 players; ideally two for each position. Currently, however, the team has only 17 players. The girls lacrosse team is run by three managers, but the team is in need of a fourth manager. If anyone is interested in joining the girls varsity lacrosse team, either as a player or manager, please see Coach Kreisler in room A311.
Coach Kreisler also encourages students to come out to the field to support the team at their games. Their game schedule is posted on their Instagram page @girlscardozolacrosse.
