The Bronxville girls lacrosse team might have a new look this season, but one thing hasn’t changed; the expectations. On March 24, the Broncos kicked off a new season—and a new era—with a convincing 17-5 win over Class A Scarsdale, sending a message to the rest of Section I that they remain the team to beat. 

Last spring, Bronxville authored a dominant, perfect season en route to capturing its sixth straight Section I title. But when head coach Sharon Robinson stepped down at the end of the year, there was—for the first time since ages—a little uncertainty surrounding one of the area’s flagship girls lacrosse programs.

Bronxville Athletic Director Joe Haven stepped in to fill the head coach vacancy—assisted by Sydney Ellis, Gianna Maffei and Scott Bacigalupo—and if early signs are any indication, the Broncos haven’t missed a beat. 

Molly Krestinski, one of five senior captains, said that the team has done its best to carry on the sense of pride and accountability that Robinson helped instill in the program. 

“Obviously it’s been different, but the coaching staff has really done a great job,” said the senior. “All five seniors have been on the team for a while, so we know how to play and win and work hard together.”

That familiarity was evident early on in Thursday’s game, as the Broncos wasted little time getting on the board. Caroline Ircha notched the season’s first goal just over a minute into regulation and Megan Krestinski followed up with a score 40 seconds later. Although Scarsdale rallied back to tie the game at 2-2, the Broncos found their footing, and would go on to outscore the visitors 15-5 the rest of the way. 

“I think we just calmed down and realized that this was just our first game out,” explained Molly Krestinski. “We just took a deep breath, thought about how we can play and just went out and did what we know how to do.”

Megan Krestinski led all Bronxville scorers with five goals and an assist, while Caroline Ircha poured in four and added an assist as well. Catherine Berkery found the net three times and dished out four assists to lead in the playmaking department. All but one of Scarsdale’s goals were scored by Claudia Rosenberg

With their first win behind them, the Broncos will now set their sights on building towards another deep playoff run. The next big test for Bronxville will come on March 31, after press time, when they take on  a large-school power in North Rockland. 

“We have a lot of changes but our goal since freshman year has been the same, to get a section championship and play for a state championship,” said Megan Krestinski. “That’s our goal and we want to complete that.”

Contact: sports@hometwn.com