Even though the season has just begun, one thing is already obvious about varsity girls’ lacrosse — they’ve made big strides since last year. On Friday, March 14, the squad secured a 12-10 victory over Sequoia High School, a team that beat the Panthers twice last season.

Despite their progress, assistant coach Alexandra Gray, who works with the team to strengthen their defense, still sees ways the team can improve going forward.

“Today’s game overall was positive, but it definitely showed that we’ve still got some work to do,” Gray said. “I think if we communicated more, which is something we can always do, we’re often really good at it. Everyone has those days, and today, it’s something we could have cleaned up.”

Junior goalie Anya Malhotra played a significant role in the team’s victory, making crucial saves against Sequoia’s strong offensive players to preserve Burlingame’s lead.

“Anya got the very first ball game today,” Gray said. “She had some stellar saves. [Sequoia] had some really strong players, and Anya was just forced back there. So I’m super proud of her. She’s an incredible hard worker and it’s paying off.”

The Panthers provided a balanced scoring attack. Junior co-captain and midfielder Haleh Ansari led the charge with seven goals and dominated draw controls, winning eight throughout the game. Ansari scored the team’s first three goals, setting the pace early.

“It’s good to go into the season knowing how well we can play together,” Ansari said. “We had a strong preseason so it’s good to know it transfers over to our league.”

Other key contributors included senior co-captain Miranda Sibley, who recorded three assists and one goal, as well as freshman Lilah Zander and junior Lila Edmonson, who each scored twice. Gray believes the numerous scoring opportunities from a number of different players are valuable assets moving forward.

“One thing I loved about today’s game is that we had several different players score,” Gray said. “That’s something I definitely want us to continue to take into our future league games.”

The game remained close throughout, with Sequoia trailing by one goal heading into the fourth quarter. However, Burlingame maintained their composure and delivered in the clutch.

“The fact that we lost to them both times last year and this year we’ve already beat them once, I think, just goes to show that we’re going to have a really incredible season,” Gray said.