The game begins with a face off, the players on the sideline shiver as they layer in their coats and blankets.  The ball flies into the back of the goal — Revere takes the lead.

Seniors Eliana Burlotos and Sophie Paxton set personal and school records in women’s lacrosse this year; Burlotos scored her 200th career goal and Paxton broke the record for most assists. Varsity coach Emma Harding has worked with the girls for the past two years and shared some thoughts on the girls and their accomplishments. Harding first spoke on Paxton’s record-breaking assists. The record was set by Courtney McClellan at 42 assists last year, but Paxton currently has 46 total assists, breaking that record.

“I don’t think any of us were really aware that she was one away from breaking the record that game, which I think is a testament to Sophie in a way because she doesn’t focus on breaking records or earning accolades. Sophie just has that innate ability to find an open teammate and throw that pass at the exact moment–she’s extremely talented,” Harding said.

Harding also talked about Burlotos’s scoring record, mentioning that no one was surprised to see Burlotos score her 200th goal.

“I actually didn’t know she was going to score her 200th but when it happened, I wasn’t surprised at all. Last season she scored 77 goals in 19 games, which averages to about 4 goals a game–that is an extremely impressive stat. This year so far she has 42 goals, bringing her total up to 227 career goals. Anyone who can score at that volume consistently has a high level of lacrosse IQ and skill. That is true of Eliana, too,” Harding said.

Harding also mentioned that Burlotos broke another record this season; the previous career record for caused turnovers was 63 set by Maddie Holvey, but this year, Burlotos currently has 70 caused turnovers.

  “She actually just broke another school record this season, which is the single season record for caused turnovers. Last season, she tied the record with Tori Holvey with 25 in a season, and this year she already has 29. Eliana has claimed the sole record breaker of single season caused turnovers and career caused turnovers [this year]. That speaks volumes of how versatile a player Eliana is,” Harding said.

Sophie Paxton has been playing lacrosse for eight years now, and she talked about how she broke the record in their game against Strongsville.

“I knew I was close to breaking the record, but I did not know the exact amount so I was surprised when they announced that I had broken it at the game,” Paxton said.

Eliana Burlotos, who has been playing lacrosse for eight years, explained how she scored her 200th goal this season.

“I knew last year I tied the record for caused turnovers in a season, so I have been working towards beating that record,” Burlotos said.

Burlotos explained what she does to help prepare for the season.

“I run during the summer and I [run] cross country, so that helps a lot with my endurance. Our team has conditioning workouts in the off season too. We lift weights, do cardio, and work on agility. I also do a lot of core work on my own. In addition, I play for a club lacrosse team called Ohio Premier, where my team travels to various states competing in tournaments,” Burlotos said.

Paxton explained what she and the team do to work together.

“Since we lost 9 seniors last year, the team has learned to readjust; we work extremely well together especially under pressure like in overtime at the Avon Lake game. Everyone gets along, and we find a way to have fun at every game and practice,” Paxton said.

The team jumps up and down, huddled in a circle as they celebrate the win and congratulate each other for their accomplishments.