Lacrosse has not only taken off as a competitive, fast-paced sport for high school boys in Arizona. It has turned the heads of several high school girls who find the sport that combines basketball, soccer and hockey skills right up their alley.

Arizona currently has girls lacrosse club teams at the JV, Division I and Division II levels. The Lady Aztec team, in its third year, played this season in the Division II league against the Desert Vista Thunder, Mountain Pointe Pride, Dobson Mustangs, PCDS Eagles and Notre Dame Prep Saints.

The Lady Aztec team won the Division II championship on April 25, besting the No. 2-ranked Dobson Mustangs 12-4. The No. 1-ranked Aztecs made it to the finals by beating the No. 4-ranked Mountain Pointe Pride 11-4. With an 11-1 record, the Lady Aztecs scored a total of 157 goals to 68 goals combined by the other Division II teams.

The team counts 24 players on its roster, but it was senior teammates Sarah Klopatek, Crystal Frost and Stephanie Albee who led their team to the championship title.

In addition, all three led their team in several statistical categories. For instance, Klopatek took 64 shots at the goal this season, making 56 percent or 40 goals while Frost took 63 while making 55 percent or 37 goals.  

Klopatek and Frost play the midfielder position, which means they play both offense and defense while on the field. Only Albee, who plays the attack position, has a higher goal percentage, scoring a goal 60 percent of the time she takes a shot at the opponent’s goal.

Klopatek won the prestigious Division II Best Attack Player Award this season beating out hundreds of players.

“I am notorious for playing aggressive offense and vicious defense,” Klopatek said.

“I was and still am passionately in love with lacrosse,” Klopatek says. “I plan on attending the University of Arizona Honors College on an academic scholarship, but I can’t wait to play on the U of A’s women’s lacrosse team.”

The Lady Aztec team also had a top-notch goalie in third-year player Rebecca Magine. Magine not only had the highest save percentage among Division II goalies, but recently received the Best Division II Goalie Award. Magine saved over 60 percent of the shots taken against her during the season.

In addition, Lady Aztec coaches Emily Miller and Bill Magine won the Division II coaching award.

Starting next February, the Lady Aztecs will move up to Division I and most likely play against the Chaparral Firebirds, Desert Mountain Wolves, Gilbert Tigers, Horizon Huskies, Pinnacle Pioneers and Xavier Gators.

More information about Arizona girls lacrosse teams in general and specifically, the Lady Aztec Lacrosse team, can be found on the Arizona Girls Lacrosse Association website at http://azgla.com