By: Joe Cicchino - Sports Information Assistant

FORT WASHINGTON -- Germantown Academy's girls lacrosse team showed improvement last season by earning the fifth seed in the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association Tournament after receiving the eighth seed in 2016. Behind first-year Head Coach Mary Dean, the Patriots will be looking to continue that growth into 2018. 

"We have a really young team so my expectations are for us to grow together as a team and learn our strengths and weaknesses," Dean said. "I want to create a winning culture, but more importantly, a team that loves and respects each other." 

So far, it appears that things are getting off on the right foot. Dean said that the team has been working hard in the offseason, which should make the transition from preseason to regular season very easy. She added that the athletes bring a great energy with them to practice every day.

In addition to cultivating a winning culture, Dean is trying to iron out mistakes. To do this, she has been stressing the importance of the team and "the little things."

"We will be incorporating some team building activities so we can build stronger relationships off the field which will help us on the field," Dean said. "I also want to implement the importance of "the little things." Catching and passing the ball with your outside hand, touching the line. A team who takes care of the little things in practice will be the most successful team in games."

The Patriots open the season with a six-game homestand starting on March 12 against Germantown Friends School. Unlike some of the other spring teams, the girls lacrosse team is not going away over spring break. However, that does not mean they will be taking time off.

"Outside of practice, we have planned some optional team activities," Dean said. "We plan on doing an 8k run in North Wales on Saint Patrick's Day. We are also heading to Franklin Field to watch Penn play University of Maryland. Lastly, my high school coach, Dave Burton, will be visiting GA for a three hour team building session with the girls."

GA takes on Germantown Friends on March 12 at 4:00 p.m. The game will be played at Oberkircher Field.