Girls’ lacrosse: Loaded Good Counsel strives for perfection;

Here comes Good Counsel, yet again. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)

Good Counsel girls’ lacrosse Coach Michael Haight does not bring up the prospect of a perfect season to his players. He believes it’s possible, if only because of how rare it is for one team to feature 21 Division I recruits like his does this spring. But why pile on that pressure when just topping last season’s campaign will be hard enough.

His players, however, have no problem embracing those expectations.

“We’re obviously trying to go 21-0,” senior Caitlyn Gunn said Tuesday, while sitting in the stands watching Good Counsel’s chief Washington Catholic Athletic Association rivals, No. 3 Bishop Ireton and No. 7 Holy Cross, play in an early-season matchup.

“It’s just the mindset of being 21-0, I think that really kicks it up a notch and allows us to move forward from things.”

After returning to the top of the Washington area girls’ lacrosse scene last year, No. 1 Good Counsel enters the 2016 season aiming even higher with a roster stocked with talent. The defending WCAC champions are ranked as high as No. 2 in the country by USA Today, and they’ve got a veteran core that isn’t intimidated by another challenging national schedule, which includes games against No. 2 St. Stephen’s/St. Agnes and McDonogh, the No. 1 team in the country and owners of a 136-game winning streak.

As a result, practices have morphed into daily tryouts to get on the field in games while Haight implemented more complex schemes and advanced skill work to challenge players. He said the team will play slightly different than in the past, with more pressure defensively and an up tempo offense to best take advantage of a wealth of speed.

The Falcons have few holes to fill in their lineup aside from All-Met Jenny Staines (Monmouth). Gunn (a Loyola commit), senior Taylor McDaniels(North Carolina), midfielder Alexis Rieu (Duke), defenders Abby Wilson(Johns Hopkins) and Halle Graham (Virginia) and goalie Kiley Keating(Towson) all played significant roles on last year’s team.

Though the battle for playing time can be fierce, McDaniels emphasized the chemistry is better among players after winning so many games together last year. This is also why everyone seems so comfortable talking about an undefeated season.

“We talk about it because it brings motivation to us by striving for that. That’s motivation for the girls to earn their spot,” McDaniels said. “This year, we’re stressing that every minute counts, so it really just brings in the thought that every minute counts at practice. You’re just pushing yourself to get to your best.”