The Trojans defeated the visiting St. Stephen’s Spartans 21-5 under the lights at Calhoun field last night, improving to 7-0 on the season ahead of a much anticipated matchup vs St. Michael’s next Thursday. A lightning delay early in the game halted play for half an hour before the Trojans got back to work, quickly putting this one out of reach for the Spartans. It was more of the same for Anderson with this being the team’s fifth double digit victory on the season.
The Trojans are currently ranked first in the D1 Central Texas district, but with St. Mike’s giving chase for the division title with a 5-0 record of their own, the importance of next week’s game cannot be overstated. Take into account the history of this matchup over the past few seasons and it’s easy to see why this is THE game this season for AGL.
Senior captain and UNC-Charlotte commit Olivia Andrus told me that “Playing St. Michael’s every year is super competitive, but [the team has] been working super hard and building up so much confidence and skill”. She added that the team “can’t wait to play them again and show off all [that] work”.
Olivia is currently second on the team with 27 goals on the season, only trailing junior Jillian Murphy, a CU-Boulder commit who’s tallied 34 scores. Maison Van Den Bossche, a sophomore and the younger sister of a former Trojan and current Flagler lacrosse player Maddie has 22 goals to go along with a team leading 17 assists so far. Both Laney Owens and Jane Ann Skaggs have 9 goals a piece with the former having 14 assists as well.
Additionally, it’s been all Murphy on the draw this year as she has the majority of the team’s draw controls with 49. She’s received some help from Andrus and junior Emerson Isles as well, but Murphy’s face off prowess gives the Trojans a huge edge against most opponents they face.
The lacrosse team is further strengthened by goalie Sarah Mckallip, a John Carter University commit who’s stopped over half of the shots she’s faced this season. She’s now in her second year as the starter and is an elite goaltender who makes fantastic saves when called upon.
The 2025 Trojans are once again a mainstay in USA Lacrosse Magazine’s South Top 10 rankings, as they’re currently slated as the 6th best team in the region. Just one Texas team is ahead of them, Hockaday, who ranks fourth in the South. Amongst southern public schools though, Anderson ranks 3rd behind just Cambridge and Milton, the top two teams in the Peach State.
These next few years could bear the end of a dynasty unrivaled by any Trojan Athletics program ever. A state championship and two semifinal appearances in a three year span with some of the same core players that still donned the blue and gold last night is a special run. Don’t take it for granted. This senior class will graduate the final two players from that state championship team, Andrus and Owens, but a strong group of juniors and underclassmen will keep the Trojans competitive for several more years.
Props must be given to Coach Alexandra Ross and every member of this program — players, parents and fans alike — for the type of success we’ve seen. More college commits have and will come out of this program than lacrosse games lost over the past four seasons, so with just five more games left this year, take a second, take a breath, and enjoy the rest of the ride.
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