Midnight finally struck for the Cinderella Lady Jaguars in the opening round of the North Coast Section Division 2 lacrosse playoffs on May 10, falling to Lick Wilmerding to end an historic 2017 campaign.
The Windsor program, led by coaches Aaron and Kristin Piotter, took a giant leap forward in its third year following back-to-back winless seasons, finishing up with an overall record of 9-5.
The Jags emerged as the surprise team during the NBL season, finishing second behind Cardinal Newman to land a first-ever spot in the league playoff tournament. Windsor recorded a first-round win over Sonoma Academy and was later awarded the 11th seed in the NCS tournament.
“We are very proud of the way our girls handled this long and rigorous campaign,” coach Kristin Piotter reflected, before looking ahead to next year. “We’ll return 11 of 12 starters and a deep second line of midfielders and attack for what should be an exciting 2018 season for the Jaguars girls lacrosse team.”
Jags bounced in NCS playoffs
The San Francisco City College was the venue for Windsor’s historic first NCS playoff match against sixth seeded Lick Wilmerding. The Tigers wasted no time in taking control, using their considerable speed to score 10 seconds into the contest. The Jaguars got goals from Kat Jernigan, Ashlee Crowley and Ellie Kohtz, but fought an uphill battle the rest of the way as Lick Wilmerding went on to post an 11-3 win.
“Their midfielders showed great hustle, and whatever we did to counteract their efforts to gain that initial possession proved fruitless,” Piotter noted. “The ball simply didn’t come our way and the phrase to best describe it was unlucky.”
Despite the sting of a season ending loss, the Lady Jags shared a deep appreciation of what they had accomplished.
“In hindsight, stepping off the bus with a commanding view of the City and on to the field at San Francisco City College was a fine way to end a season that greatly exceeded expectations,” Piotter said.
