Cynithia Smalls experienced the thrill of leading Beach Channel to its first ever PSAL girls lacrosse city title last season.
One crown, however, isn’t enough.
“If we don’t win the championship people will think it is just luck or it was just a once-and-a-lifetime thing,” the sensational senior attack said. “I definitely don’t want to leave high school without another championship.”
Smalls was a major reason the Dolphins topped Tottenville, 6-5, in the final last season. She scored the tying goal with 5:18 left in the game and will again be one of the league’s elite. She is lightning quick with the ball in her stick and tough to stop getting to the net. Smalls scored 49 goals and dished out 16 assists as a junior and said she can play freer this season with a knee injury healed. She is also putting an emphasis on feeding.
“I can do more,” Small said. “I won’t have to worry about getting hurt and I won’t have to use caution. I can play to my full potential.”
She will have plenty of help around her on offense. While Beach Channel lost Heisman Award winner Kiara VanBrackle at midfield, it returns senior attacks Tolagbe Olatunbosun (30 goals) and Casey Gallagher (14 goals). The trio will be as talented and as balanced a group as you will find in the PSAL, with Gallagher bringing speed and Olatunbosun size and strength.
“She kind of leans forward when she’s running and she just gets a head full of steam and you just don’t want to get in her way,” Beach Channel coach Sam Innes said of Olatunbosun.
The Dolphins lost six players, five of them starters, from last year’s team, but are off to a 2-0 start following a 12-8 win over South division rival Midwood on Tuesday. The majority of loses come at midfield and defense, including goalie Elizabeth Mina. Senior backup Crystal Bissessar will take oven in net and Gallagher’s younger sister Courtney, a sophomore, and senior Idalia Viard will be at midfield.
“The core coming back can’t do it alone,” Innes said.
Beach Channel’s biggest question mark will be on the defensive end. Seniors Jasmine Hamlet and sophomore Tierra Holmes will be stepping into larger roles, but top defender Whitney Brown does return. She is tough, athletic and has a great awareness of the field. It is something Innes said is an important attribute to teaching the younger players.
“If they keep working as hard as they are now, we won’t have a problem,” Smalls said.
To further prepare his squad for the season, and possibly another title run, Innes had them participate in a team camp on Long Island in July, along with other programs from the lacrosse hot bed. He said it benefited the Dolphins to get manhandled for a few days and receive superior instruction from college coaches. Smalls called it a wakeup call and insight to another level of play it can strive to reach, one that will help them as they try to repeat.
“Now it’s going to be harder,” Smalls said. “We are going to have to prove ourselves.”