By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
Sara Doran and Julia Giordano both come into their new head coaching positions with plenty of experience and a common philosophy – have fun on the lacrosse field., Doran takes over as the head coach at Princeton High, while Giordano is the new head coach at West Windsor-Plainsboro High North. WW-P South also welcomes a new head coach this season as Tracy Klugerman takes over as head coach of the Pirates., Doran, a Princeton High graduate, was a member of the school’s 1985 state championship team. She went on to play at Northwestern and has been involved as a coach in the sport ever since., “I was recruited to play at Northwestern,” Doran said. “I was sidelined with an injury my junior year after I had played my first two years. That was when I began my coaching at New Trier High School in Winnetka (Ill.). I’ve coached at Stuart and then I stopped to raise children. I’ve been involved the last eight years with PG Lax in Princeton and coached for Ultimate Club Lacrosse. I love coaching and have a great love for the sport. I love passing on my knowledge of the sport.”, Through her club coaching, Doran already knows many of the players who will playing for the Little Tigers this year., “The good thing about my involvement is I know a lot of the parents and players through PG Lax,” said Doran, whose daughter, Lila, is a freshman in the program. “I really want to create a supportive learning environment for the girls to develop their skills, compete at a high level and have fun. I feel like with club lacrosse today the girls who are really serious about it, they get that through club lacrosse., “High school is a mix of club lacrosse and girls who are there to have fun. I want the girls to have fun. Some of my best memories are from high school lacrosse and being on the team. That would be the ultimate goal and also to help them to understand the importance of relationships with each other. I have friends to this day that started out as teammates on the Princeton High lacrosse team.”, At WW-P North, Giordano takes over for highly successful coach Beth Serughetti. Now in her third year with the program, Giordano had been the Knights’ freshman coach., “It’s great this year,” said Giordano, a graduate of The College of New Jersey. “ I kind of moved up with the the sophomores and juniors who I have coached before. The team has been great. The girls are fantastic and the energy has been so positive. They’re all excited to be at practice and get along well and motivate each other, which is nice for the coaching staff to see. They’re ready to work hard whether they are inside in the hallways or trying to find a way to practice outside with this weather.”, Giordano was a three-sport athlete at Shore Regional High School before heading to TCNJ, where she was a standout goalkeeper for the Lions. Now she’ll look to pass her love of sports on to her players., “I was always involved with athletics,” said Giordano, who teaches science at Community Middle School. “Growing up I played three sports in high school. I loved the feeling of being on a team. I am taking things from each team I played on. Being in that environment I wanted to stay with it teaching and coaching., “I just focus on growth with the girls and improving, both individually and as a team. I think that is important. The girls are excited when they realize they couldn’t catch with their left hand the day before and now they can.”
