News flash: my niece now has her own lacrosse helmet for playing in the goal cage.

She’s on the freshman team at her school, though another ninth-grader has already won a spot on her junior varsity team.

I went to see her play the other day, and she was decent. She knew how to hold a stick, how to cut off angles, how to make plays on passes too near the crease, and was effective in getting the ball upfield.

Problem: her height. Most all of the goals against her were over her head and goalie crosse.

But when you’re 14 years old, what do you expect, right?

Still, I’m awfully proud of her, and hopes she seeks to improve every game out. Who knows? The amount of shots she gets in each game, she’ll be able to read more situations than if she was on a team that kept the ball in the other half of the field all game.