Unbeaten Pembroke Hill girls look to claim lacrosse championship

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Just watching them run wind sprints, you’d never know you’re looking at Kansas City’s best high school lacrosse team. But when the Pembroke Hill girls start actually scrimmaging, you can see why they’re ranked number one.

“This team is really impressive,” coach Madeline Gilstrap said. “This is our first unbeaten season. So far, we’re 16-0 and hopefully have two more wins ahead.”

Her best player just might be the undersized, but super quick, Snowden Connor, who believes it’s the Raiders’ raw talent that has made the difference.

“I think the athleticism is unmatched,” Connor said of her team. “We have so many athletes that play so many sports, and when we get together, it’s unbeatable.”

Most of the girls came to lacrosse after playing soccer or softball, but one senior’s been playing her whole life.

“I started playing in kindergarten,” Blythe Shelley said. “I lived in Maryland, and everybody on the East Coast is playing. So I just kind of fell into it, and I‘ve loved it ever since.”

While many teams seem to rely on a single scorer, this squad is different.

“We have seven girls scoring instead of just one every single game,” Gilstrap said.

“We don’t see it as an individual sport,” Cate Degnan added, “but we truly play together.”

“I just think we play as a team,” Shelley stated. “Nobody plays individually.”

And that’s been borne out by their numbers.

“We’re averaging 19 goals a game and only three goals against,” said Gilstrap. “So that’s really strong.”

Pembroke Hill is now just two wins away from the lacrosse championship.

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