Apr 22, 2013 4 min read

Like many girls growing up in McMurray, Caitlin Carey played a lot of soccer.

She was an avid basketball player, too.

But after Carey’s older sister, Janel, started messing around with a lacrosse stick, Caitlin was hooked. The pair would play catch in the backyard, and Caitlin idolized Janel, who later played college lacrosse at the University of Notre Dame.

Fast forward four or five years. Caitlin Carey, like her sister, is committed to an NCAA Division I school – Duke. She also has kept the Indians’ girls lacrosse dynasty intact by helping Peters Township win its fourth WPIAL title in the past six years last spring.

“It was fun for me starting off,” Caitlin said. “I caught with (Janel) just to help her out. She was the biggest influence. She did a lot. She knows me in and out, and she said, ‘I think you would like it.’ So I tried it. She’s the whole reason why I played.”

While the rest of the WPIAL might not agree, Duke will certainly be thankful.

Just ask Kristin Slemmer, the Indians’ head coach. Slemmer is from Philadelphia, where lacrosse is much more of a focal point, and she said Carey, who has 37 goals this season, compares well with players on the eastern side of the state.

“She definitely stands out in Western Pennsylvania, but even when we took a trip to New Jersey, she was right there with the elite players as far as being able to pass, catch and get shots off quickly,” Slemmer said. “I think she’s very comparable.”

The minute Caitlin Carey started playing competitive lacrosse, she felt comfortable; the sliding, passing and moving mirrored basketball, and Carey’s field sense from soccer translated well, too.

“Lacrosse was a perfect mix of basketball and soccer,” Carey said.

Janel, meanwhile, talked to her younger sister about the opportunities available in lacrosse. She also joked that college basketball programs weren’t looking for girls with their lack of height.

“I always knew she had it in her,” Janel Carey said. “She’s just a natural athlete.”

Carey eclipsed 50 goals and 80 points last year, displaying athleticism and a fearlessness around the cage, but she’s also an excellent defender, a trait that was obvious on the soccer field.

“Caitlin is a workhorse,” Peters Township girls lacrosse coach Kristin Slemmer said. “She plays the midfield, and she’s sprinting up and down the field to get to the ball and cause a turnover. Defensively, she does a great job of helping her teammates cause turnovers.”

As dominant as she was last season, Carey, who also has 21 assists, began this season set on diversifying her game.

The intent?

To not only impress her future coaches at Duke but also to ready herself for the rigors of the ACC, historically one of the country’s strongest leagues.

“I think I improved a lot last year, and I played well. But I just want to keep it up,” Carey said. “I’m going to have to take a big next step playing at Duke next year. I’m trying to challenge myself.

“The (college) level is higher, so I need to work on my stick skills, get a little bit faster, improve my all-around game.”

Peters Township has enjoyed its typically dominant season, outscoring opponents 159-91. The Indians are 5-0 in section play, 8-1 overall (9-2 if you include a tournament in New Jersey) and are ranked No. 1 in Western Pennsylvania by laxpower.com.

But it’s not just been Carey; of all the Indians’ goals, 73 percent have been on assisted plays.

“We don’t just have one girl who’s looking to drive,” Slemmer said.

No, maybe not.

Fellow Division I recruits Sarah Bootman (American) and Hannah Wilcox (Jacksonville) have 39 goals apiece, and Izzy Dignazio (Philadelphia) has caused 20 turnovers. Impressive stats abound.

But what Peters Township does have is a second Carey looking to make her mark on a Division I lacrosse program.

“I think the biggest thing is that she has this intensity about her, and that’s often what separates good high school players from those who can play in college,” Janel said. “You can teach a player to throw and catch, but the heart she has … you can’t teach that.”