Girls lacrosse: Crystal Lake Central co-op’s Anna Starr shines bright in 18-1 win over Hampshire co-op

HAMPSHIRE – Not many teams would find success early in a season after losing some of its top scorers from the previous year.

Luckily for Crystal Lake Central co-op, the Tigers have found a way.

Sophomore Anna Starr continued to be that cheat code for Central against Hampshire co-op on Wednesday night. Starr controlled the faceoff circle and scored six goals to lead Central to a 18-1 Fox Valley Conference victory.

“I think our team is strong offensively, and it’s definitely easier to score when everyone else is a threat also,” Starr said. “It’s just important to start scoring early so we can set the tone for the rest of the game.”

Starr, who earned the Northwest Herald’s 2023 Girls Lacrosse Player of the Year honor, didn’t waste any time asserting herself into Wednesday’s game for Central (6-1, 2-0). She dominated the faceoff circle and scored the Tigers’ first three goals to give Central, who draws from Cary-Grove, Crystal Lake South and Prairie Ridge, a 3-0 lead with 7:14 left in the first quarter.

Seniors Colleen Dunlea and Claire Warren each scored less than two minutes later to give Central a 5-0 lead by the end of the first quarter. Junior Fiona Lemke and sophomore Makayla Simonic joined the scoring early in the second quarter before Starr scored twice and Dunlea and Warren each added a goal to make it 12-0 at the half.

Starr finished with six goals in three quarters. Dunlea scored four goals, Lemke added three, Warren tallied two goals, while Izzy Jackson, Simonic and Ella Madalinski each scored once.

Central finished with 30 shots on goal.

Central coach Joe Capalbo called Starr a cheat code for how much of a force she can be offensively. Once she wins a faceoff, she quickly attacks the first defender she faces. If she can get past her, she’ll try to score. If not, she’ll rely on her teammates who will move the ball around until the Tigers find a strong look at the net.

But having Starr as a dominant force in the circle helps Central dominate the time of possession, an essential to success for Capalbo.

“Having Anna on the draw circle the way she wins the draws and the amount of draws she wins puts so much pressure on the other team,” Capalbo said. “If we score or we win the draw, they’re constantly on defense.”

Hampshire (2-4, 0-1) got on the scoreboard with 8:23 left in the game when senior Teegan Van Stone scored off a penalty. The shot was the lone shot on goal for Hampshire, which also draws from Dundee-Crown and Jacobs.

“I think our team is strong offensively and it’s definitely easier to score when everyone else is a threat also. It’s just important to start scoring early so we can set the tone for the rest of the game.”

—  Anna Starr, Crystal Lake Central co-op sophomore

Central’s possession dominance doesn’t create too many chances for the Tigers defense to make many stops. But Starr is confident the defense is ready when it’s time to make a stop.

“They don’t usually get a ton of goals scored on them,” Starr said. “It’s really helpful for us if we’re working on a new play, we know that they’re to help us out and it won’t be an immediate goal.”

Wednesday was the second of four games this week for Central. The Tigers beat Geneva 17-2 on Tuesday and will play Glenbrook South on Thursday and Libertyville on Friday.

Capalbo admitted that it’s a lot of games for a week. But he wants Central to be prepared for a deep postseason run as the Tigers try to reach the state finals for the first time in program history after reaching a supersectional game the past two seasons.

“I’m prepping for May,” Capalbo said. “In six weeks, that’s what we’re working toward and they know that.”