By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 4/1/08
A powerhouse team returns every single starter from the year before? It almost sounds like an April Fool’s joke.
Yes, the Bayard Rustin girls’ lacrosse team has the rare chance to play a second season 
with basically the same players.
And on Tuesday the Golden Hawks faced their first major test of the year by defeating host Strath Haven, 11-9, in non-league play.
Senior midfield standout Allison Tatios pumped in six goals for Bayard Rustin (2-0), a team that reached the semifinals of the District 1 Class AAA tournament in 2007 (19-3 record) without any seniors due to the split of the West Chester School District.
Rustin, ranked third in the Phillylacrosse.com Girls’ Poll, rallied from a 7-5 halftime deficit behind a 6-1 spurt to open the second half. The Panthers (1-1), ranked fifth by Phillylacrosse.com, fell to 1-1.
“It was a good coming out for us,” said Tatios, who has committed to Division I power Pennsylvania. “We, not only our heart, we click so well.
“We could play with our eyes closed; I feel like we know where each other are and read each other’s minds.”
Indeed, a perfect feed from Drexel-bound Morgan Holbrook to a cutting Leana Brewer gave the Hawks a 9-8 lead with 10 minutes to play. Tatios, who had three goals in each half, notched two more to ice the game and a defense led by tri-captain Sarah George kept Strath Haven’s vaunted attack off course.
Junior whiz Emily Garrity and Courtney DeVinney each had four goals for Strath Haven, while goalie Denika Ervin had 10 saves. Garrity, committed to North Carolina, reached 200 for her career. Alyssa Gallen added two goals for Rustin, and Kelsey Corbett and Tori Dugan also scored..
“It was a litmus test for us,” said Panther coach Margie Garrity. “We could have won the game. That’s a positive aspect. The flip side to that is there are lots of things to work on.”
“We were real sloppy today, so I’m not real happy. Hopefully next time we’ll be sharper and have a little more burning desire to win.”
Bayard Rustin coach Dale Watkins said last year’s success has carried over.
“The nice thing is they all like each other and they work hard to help each other,” he said. “I think that’s a spin-off from having everybody back.”
