Saranac Lake Placid girls lacrosse team (Enterprise photo — Lou Reuter)

SARANAC LAKE — A season ago, Saranac Lake’s girls lacrosse team played its entire schedule with no substitutes. And after getting off to a slow start, the team won five of its final seven matches to finish with a 6-8 record.

This spring, the squad has been renamed Saranac Lake Placid to better reflect its make-up of students from both districts, and instead of carrying a small roster into the season, the team has loads of depth as it looks to be competitive in Section X action.

With 30 players on the roster, third-year head coach Sharon Bromide won’t be limited by a lack of players this season.

“Our numbers are exciting,” head coach Shannon Bromley said. “We’re exited to see so much growth in just one year. Having more players allows us to practice more game-like situations. We had to get creative with our gym time for preseason, because of the number of athletes, but I think overall we were effective and productive.”

After practicing entirely indoors during the preseason, the first time the team stepped out on an outdoor field was prior to spring break when it opened its schedule against Massena, the reigning Section X champion. SLP fell into a 7-0 hole before finally losing by a 16-7 score.

“We were down 7-0 at half but played a 9-7 second half of the game, which was great to see,” Bromley said. “We were down three starters for our game against Massena, but we were able to see some new players step in to fill those roles and show what they can do.”

This year’s roster features a mix of veterans and newcomers, ranging from seniors to seventh-graders. The team will be captained by seniors Julia Chapin and Ryley Fischer.

Many of SLP’s top guns are back in the linuep, with players including Fischer, sophomore midfielder Lydia Bullock and seniors Kylee Clark and Mistre Newton among members of that group who will be relied on for scoring. Rylee Preston, a sophomore, will also be a key player at midfield.

Freshman Alex LaDue also returns for her third season and is expected to provide some offensive spark, and a newcomer, seventh-grader Olivia Ferebee, has already displayed her ability to be an impact player at the varsity level.

After taking off the 2018 campaign, senior Meghan Byrne is also back on the squad and should be a key contributor playing her final season of high school lacrosse.

SLP will be anchored in goal by senior Erica Swirsky, who brings loads of experience as the team’s long-time starter at that position.

SLP will split its practice and game time between Saranac Lake and Lake Placid this spring with practices and home games scheduled to take place at North Country Community College and the North Elba Athletic Fields in Lake Placid.