North Hills Team That Struggled to Win Ends Up An Undefeated Champion

Their season ticking down to its final seconds, the North Hills High girls' lacrosse players felt no sadness, no relief, no emotions other than a combination of joy and disbelief.

They finished with no losses: 20-0, a perfect season, after defeating Chartiers Valley by 15-5 to win the WPIAL Division II championship -- the first such title in the program's history.

Only teams in Division I advance to the PIAA playoffs, so North Hills ended its season with that  championship on their home field May 26.

“It’s amazing we got this far,” said junior captain Emily Jamison.  “It feels amazing. I never thought we could make it this far but we did. We all worked as a team to get here. We worked for this; we deserved it.”

“It’s a dream come true,” said senior captain Emma Wingerd. “We’ve been playing this game for six years. I can’t even describe the feeling. To have a 20-0 perfect season. . . . It’s a fairytale. These things aren’t supposed to happen in real life.”

Their title run exemplified the program's progress the past few years. Since its inception in 1999, the program failed to even win a game in the playoffs. Over the past four years, however, North Hills arose from a 4-7 record in 2008 to 11-4 last year. Winning didn’t come easily.

“North Hills in the past hasn’t been a high-achieving team,” said coach Rachel McGregor, an alumna of the lacrosse team.  “To set the standard at this school is really great for these girls.”

“These girls are breaking records for North Hills,” echoed Linda Brunn, mother of player Erin Ludolff.  “Nobody’s come this far ever.”

The team is comprised of 11 juniors, meaning that the team's core group will remain intact for next season. These girls have been playing together since seventh grade, enabling them to form strong bonds.

“Our team chemistry is really good,” Emma Wingerd said. “We have a lot of girls [who] play soccer together, a few of us play basketball together. We have girls that hang out together. A lot of us eat lunch together.

"We love like family, we go out like family, we fight like family," she said. "When you do that, it’s hard to be off the same page and not supportive of each other.”

Their unity was evident from the very beginning of the championship game. Almost immediately, the Indians took a commanding start, possessing the ball and playing in their opponent’s zone for the majority of the half. Junior Emily Jamison scored the first goal of the game, and the points kept coming. . . until a 7-0 lead.

“[At first,] we were trying to work the ball around a little, get the feel of the game, see what we could do,” said Jamison. “And then the first goal we had just motivated us to keep going.”

The team did keep going, scoring nine more goals in the first half to make the score 10-3. The 10-goal final margin was a clear indication of North Hills' dominance on the field. When the Colts did manage to come alive towards the end of the first half, though, sophomore goalkeeper Izzy Wingerd was ready.

“It was so nerve-wracking at the beginning because I didn’t know how they shot,” the goalkeeper said. “Someone told me that they shoot low, and it bounces up really high. I really didn’t know. And I was nervous because the other goalie, the second half, she was very good. I give her so much credit because she was so amazing.”

Izzy Wingerd's goalkeeping as well as the team’s defense kept the Indians in a comfortable position, enabling them to make plays in the offensive zone. Working together, the players accomplished the goal they had set for themselves at the beginning of the season – to make it to the WPIAL championship game.

“Emma Wingerd, she said that this year she wanted to get to the championship game and get to WPIALs,” Jamison said. “She’s a senior, and we did it.”

The team knew from the start that they would have to be something special.

“We kind of went in fighting, and I guess that worked for us,” McGregor said. “I had high hopes that it would be a good year for us, but this was just beyond my wildest expectations.”

The pressure of winning and remaining undefeated was not a threat most of the season -- until the team made it to the playoffs.

“I think it definitely had us in the first game of the playoffs, when we played Ellis at home,” Emma Wingerd said. “I think we went in a little bit cocky. A lot of the girls were expecting it to be a breeze. It’s the playoffs, everybody steps it up there. There was just a lot of emotion going in the game. I can honestly say, each one of us individually played the worst game of the season, and luckily we were fortunate to pull it out and come out on top on that one.”

Perhaps another factor in the team’s success was the support it received from parents, family, friends and classmates.

“I come to all the games,” said Terri LeDonne, the mother of captain April LeDonne. “As many as I can. And of course always drove her to practice, back and forth. And listen to her cry when she lost. And enjoy the wins when they win.”

Family members of player Natalie DiPaolo went as far to wear custom T-shirts bearing her last name and number.

Classmates, too, began to come out as word of the team’s success spread.

Chelsie Horne said she learned about the championship game during class and came to support her friends. Alex Kolze heard about that final game from his teacher, the assistant coach.

None was disappointed last week as they watched the girls grab the title. Adding to the moment: Just after the medals had been handed out and the team acknowledged for its achievement, a full double rainbow arced into the sky above the field.

“Could a mother be happier?” said Lynda Wingerd, mother of Izzy and Emma. “There’s a full rainbow, and we won the championship.”