More News

The problem was, though, that for all their talking, Einstein could not stop Rockville’s multi-talented senior. Using deft ball handling skills, and a quick release, Schmidt scored seven goals, and assisted on three more. That total, along with fellow senior Megan Johnsey’s five goals, helped Rockville roll over Einstein, 16-6, in Monday night’s girls lacrosse game in Kensington.

‘‘That really pumped me up,” Schmidt said of the Titans’ vocal respect. ‘‘It gives me encouragement, even though that’s not what they want, obviously. It makes me play harder.”

Schmidt was not alone in her energetic play. After allowing Einstein to creep within a goal at the midpoint of the first half, Rockville (6-2 overall) reeled off six straight scores. Two of those goals belonged to Johnsey, and Schmidt scored three, but the most interesting was midfielder Mel Turner’s. Normally a fast player that gets the ball up the field with her legs, then passes off to scorers, Turner’s score illustrated that when necessary, almost every Ram on the field has the ability to finish.

‘‘The team is working extremely well together,” Rockville coach Janis Maloney said. ‘‘They are communicating, they are picking up the double [team], they are sliding. Concepts that were all new last year, they have put into place this year.”

In fact, when Maloney came on board a year ago after a stint at Blake, she inherited a Rockville program that had talent but was in the doldrums. The Rams had not won a playoff game, and were often overmatched on the field. Yet, Maloney instilled a commitment to fundamentals, particularly on the defensive end, that yielded immediate results. Rockville won 11 games last season, including a playoff victory, and is on pace to match that feat again.

‘‘When I was a freshman, we could barely get a pass up the field,” Schmidt said. ‘‘Teams used to pound us. It wasn’t even a question, but now, I don’t think we are the underdog anymore. We are held in a different regard. We are not an easy game.”

The Rams seem to be getting even tougher as the year wears on. Against the Titans (4-4), Rockville sophomore defensive wings Jen Civick and Leanne Taylor helped limit Grace Reinhalter, the Titans’ leading scorer, to just two goals, her lowest total of the year. In addition, Rockville goalie Christy Knesel stopped early point-blank shots to blunt Einstein’s attack, on the way to 12 saves in the game.

‘‘Our defense has been playing really well,” Maloney said. ‘‘And our goalie is having a fantastic year, which has helped a lot. They really are working much better and they are young.”

For Einstein, Monday’s game was an aberration in what otherwise has been a season of steady progression. Reinhalter came into the contest with 35 goals, including eight in an overtime loss to Seneca Valley at the end of March. But even though the Titans were able to move the ball down the field, they were not able to get it to Reinhalter. In addition, early defensive lapses against Rockville’s high-scoring duo put Einstein in a hole it could not dig out of.

‘‘We have been doing so much better than we did last year,” coach Suzanne Murray said. ‘‘This was the first game that we got blown out of, but that was because of little mental mistakes that just killed us. We have great athletes and we have the ability. We just did not connect, and that was disappointing.”

In fact, Reinhalter was just one of several speedy Titans that gashed holes in Rockville’s defense. Yet when they got into open space, Einstein’s attackers held on to the ball too long, letting the Rams force a turnover, or took poor shots that were easily saved by Knesel. By the midpoint of the second half, the game was out of reach.

‘‘Poor shot selection killed us,” Murray said. ‘‘I keep harping on them, accuracy before power. That’s all you really need. Once they get their confidence with their shooting, we’ll be all right.”

For Schmidt, Johnsey and the rest of the Rams, though, things seem to be all right, right now. With the playoffs on the horizon, and the potential for home games in the postseason for the second year in a row, it is not lost on the seniors how far they have come.

‘‘We learned last year that we can win a playoff game and that has boosted our confidence,” Schmidt said. ‘‘We have a lot of team spirit now. We’re proud to be from Rockville.”