The girls lacrosse team closed out their spring season, finishing with a Region- 4AAAA record of 9-6 and an overall record of 10-7. The Knights placed third in area 8-AAAA for regions, capping a year defined not just by wins on the scoreboard, but by the culture and growth built between the lines.
The girls’ last game ended in a 16-9 loss to St. Pius in the first playoff game. Although they lost, head coach Lucy Stone expressed her satisfaction with the team’s bonding and unity.
“I’ve been really impressed with the team’s cohesion this season,” Stone said. “I noticed the returning players made an intentional effort to create an inclusive and joy-filled environment on the field. At the end of the day, that’s what I want most for the girls — to find a family in each other.”
Freshman Campbell O’Keeffe found the loss disappointing, but she said the conversations within the team were always a boost.
“I think the team handled our losses together like we would just talk about what we could do better if our coach told us to always trust each other with passes and playing on the field,” O’Keeffe said.
Sophomore Harper Garrett expressed her thoughts on losing the seniors. They will lose the prep talks given and the mid game boosts. She hopes to step into more of a leadership role next season to fill the gap.
“I think the seniors on our team are definitely seen as the big sisters to all of the freshmen and younger players on the team,” Garrett said. “They’ve been huge momentum boosters in all of our games and given the best pep talks mid-games.’
While Midtown is losing six seniors, new players will come in. Rising junior Abbie Dora is a promising team member. Stone said she hopes Dora will do great things next year.
“Losing seniors is always difficult. We rely on them not just for skill but for leading the team culture and communication,” Stone said. “Caroline has started every game of her career and has seen tremendous growth over each season. We will miss her terribly, but we are also excited to showcase Abbie Dora, who is quick and has promising form.”
The teams highest ranked opponent this season was Decatur, (Rank 44 in Georgia) Despite losing 15-10, it showed the Knights how well they could compete against a strong opponent. Senior captain Maya Gordon was proud of how the team was able to play hard while going against a hard team early in the season. She said it showed how the team was really able to push themselves against tough opponents.
“Even though we lost, it was a very competitive team,” Gordon said. “We were expecting to lose and went into the game with little confidence. It ended up being a really good game. We completely turned around and improved ourselves, and everyone gave it their all. It also being the beginning of the season set the framework of what this team could be. Before our Decatur game, I don’t think anyone was very confident in the team.”
Sophomore Julianna Richman and freshman Aydn Honore stepped up as underclassmen for the 2026 season.
“Julianna stepped on to the field for her first ever season of lacrosse this spring and took to the sport naturally,” Stone said. “Freshman Aydn Honore also helped hold down the defense, showing incredible hustle, perseverance and coachability. I am eager to see what Aydn will bring to the team next year given her growth this season.”
After navigating a season with tough opponents and difficult breaks, Stone said the program will continue to build as new players come in.
“Marist and Chamblee are very competitive teams,” Stone said. “We are working to build our program so that we have reliable sticks in every position on the field as well as our overall game IQ. We also struggled to come back from spring this season, both in fitness and mentality. Spring can be a tough season mentally, as we approach the end of the school year.”
Gordon expressed her mindset on the field. While falling into the “senior slump,” she was able to bring herself up through encouragement from her teammates and players. Being captain brought her many new connections that she was pleased to continue, being away from the team.
“I knew my time was limited,” Gordon said. “I’m not playing college, so any single time I felt like I just kind of wanted to give up, it definitely helped me and pushed me because it was the one of the last times I was going to be in uniform. I’m really glad that I made new connections like the new girls coming onto the team and I got so close with them and it just made me feel happy. Even though lacrosse isn’t going into my college years, these relationships can.”
Looking ahead, O’Keeffe is eager to bring more to the team for the next few years. She was inspired by the captains, Katie Hester, Maya Gordon, Caroline Timmons and Leor Gutierrez. They showed her what strong leadership looks like, especially through their pep talks and the way they guide the team through challenges.
“I plan on bringing confidence and making sure we know what to improve on,” O’Keeffe said. “Maya Gordon had a great impact on me. She was really positive and never brought the team down about plays or losses and she would always find good things to say rather than talk about the bad things.”
