On a rainy Thursday night, the Apopka girls lacrosse team took a moment to celebrate the heart of its program. 

Before taking the field against Seminole, the Blue Darters honored a large senior class that has helped build the foundation of a young program still finding its footing. Fifteen seniors were recognized during the ceremony, including Kamari Jones, Zoey Blend, Olivia Davis, Ahlani Lyn, Julie Raya, Christy Duong, Cailyn Anderson, Ava Kelly, Sophia Pellegrino, Lory Dorsainvil, Joy Zheng, Ashlyn DeLaura, Ley Chery, Kori Brown, Alma Sanchez and Wynodia Monsanto. 

Nine of those seniors are first-year players — a reflection of just how new much of Apopka’s roster is this season. 

With rain falling steadily and elements playing a role in this game, both teams and officials agreed to play with a running clock in hopes of completing the game. Once play began, Seminole took control early and pulled away for a 14-1 victory. 

Apopka opened the game aggressively, pushing the ball forward on the first rush. Seminole quickly answered, however, capitalizing on an offensive-zone penalty to score the opening goal. The visitors continued to apply pressure throughout the first quarter, adding two more goals. 

Seminole extended the margin early in the second quarter when they broke through the defense and finished another scoring run to build a commanding lead. 

Despite the early deficit, the Blue Darters continued to push forward and found a breakthrough midway through the quarter. Sophomore Ellie Taylor picked up the ball near midfield and sprinted the length of the field toward the goal. After drawing a penalty, Taylor was awarded a free run and buried the shot to put Apopka on the board. 

The goal energized the home sideline, but Seminole responded with two more scores before halftime to carry a 7-1 lead into the break. 

The second half followed a similar script. Seminole opened with a quick scoring rush just 15 seconds after play resumed and continued to maintain offensive pressure throughout the third quarter. 

Apopka continued battling into the final quarter, highlighted by a defensive play from Cailyn Anderson that created a transition opportunity. Seminole recovered defensively, however, and later added three more goals to close out the 14-1 win. 

While the scoreboard reflected a difficult night, head coach Ted Sheyda emphasized that the team’s progress this season goes far beyond the results. 

“On the surface, it seems like a frustrating season, right?” Sheyda said. “But we have to remember, we’ve graduated 26 girls in the last two years. I have 12 first-year players.” 

Many of those newcomers had little or no lacrosse experience when the season began. 

“Twelve of them hadn’t picked up a stick before a month ago,” Sheyda said. “They didn’t even know what lacrosse was. The growth that they’ve had — it’s been the biggest change from start to finish so far that I’ve ever seen.” 

Sheyda said the team’s returning players have taken on larger leadership roles while helping the younger players develop. 

“Zoey Blend has stepped up on offense,” he said. “Deena Balkarran is a first-year starter in goal and one of our captains. Ava Kelly, Ragan Willis and Cailyn Anderson — all my returners have stepped up more than I could have asked them.” 

Balkarran, the Blue Darters’ goalkeeper, reached a major milestone earlier in the week during Apopka’s matchup against Windermere Prep. Despite a 16-3 loss in that contest, Balkarran recorded her 300th career save while anchoring the defense through long stretches of offensive pressure. 

Windermere Prep opened that game with four quick goals before Willis answered with Apopka’s first score. The Lakers added several more goals to build a large first-quarter lead. 

Sophomore Ellie Taylor found the net late in the second quarter to make the score 12-2 heading into halftime. 

Apopka showed some of its best offensive rhythm in the third quarter, stringing together several clean passes through the defense before Taylor converted another scoring opportunity. 

Balkarran followed with three strong saves while the Blue Darters tightened defensively to slow Windermere Prep’s attack. 

Windermere regained control in the fourth quarter to secure the victory. 

Even in games where the final score has been lopsided, Sheyda said his players continue to compete with energy and resilience. 

“We go out there and we play hard,” he said. “There’s no quit in this team — whether the score is 26-0 or 4-3 in overtime. They always try their hardest.” 

With such a young roster gaining experience each game, Sheyda believes the program is laying important groundwork. 

“We’re building for the future,” he said. “The rest of the season should be pretty good. I have high hopes for what it brings.”