What's NEW With AFA Lacrosse
AFA Lacrosse 2020 Information
Off Season Information:
As always, GREAT things are happening at AFA! Sign ups for tryouts are awesome and we look forward to adding some new faces and new talent to our AFA travel teams this summer. Alpha Lax K-8 registration is open and going strong; one of the strengths of our program is the opportunity for athletes to play together year round and we are excited that so many of you are taking advantage of this. Winter programs started last week and we are loving the hard work, enthusiasm and commitment to athletic improvement. The sore muscles will go away but the performance gains will last and translate to on field improvement.
Please see below for more detailed info about upcoming events:
AFA 2020 Tryouts:
REGISTER FOR AFA 2020 TRAVEL TRYOUTS
Hopefully you all received the tryout information and are getting the dates on your calendar. There are TWO tryout dates, so make sure you look for your grad year to know which one to attend. ALL players, returning and new, are required to try out for the 2020 season. As always, if selected for a team, our commitment to you is for participation in for the entire 2020 year. Selected players do not have to play in fall, but will not need to try out again if they decide to do so. We will have a supplemental tryout in August to fill available roster spots.
NEW THIS YEAR:
All upper high school team tryouts (2021, 2022, and 2023) will include mandatory stick skill and conditioning evaluations as part of the tryout format. This includes timed rebounder drills and timed run tests. Athletes on grade specific teams will be expected to meet the requirements in these evaluations. We will send out more specific details about the tests after Thanksgiving so athletes can practice and prepare.
OPEN TEAM:
As part of our ongoing growth as a program, AFA is offering a high school varsity team for the 2020 year. This team will be a combined age group (2021, 2022, and 2023 athletes) who would prefer play in local, championship tournaments during the month of June only.
ALPHA LAX REGISTRATION
Spring Rec
Important Dates:
February 22 - Practices begin
March 14 - 12U, 14U Playday
March 21 - 10U, 12U, 14U Playday
March 28 - 8U, 10U, 12U, 14U Playday
April 4 - 8U, 10U Playday, 12U, 14U ONE LOVE TOURNAMENT
April 11 - No Games, Easter Weekend
April 18 - 8U, 10U, 12U, 14U Playday
April 19 - Make up Day for All Divisions
April 25 - 8U, 10U, 12U, 14U Playday
May 2 - All Divisions DANNY FOX MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT
Per NCGLL rules, no grade specific teams are allowed at the rec level and no tryouts are permitted. We have had a great deal of interest from outside our organization, so we encourage our athletes to sign up early to ensure a spot on an Alpha Lax rec team.
As always, GREAT things are happening at AFA! Sign ups for tryouts are awesome and we look forward to adding some new faces and new talent to our AFA travel teams this summer. Alpha Lax K-8 registration is open and going strong; one of the strengths of our program is the opportunity for athletes to play together year round and we are excited that so many of you are taking advantage of this. Winter programs started last week and we are loving the hard work, enthusiasm and commitment to athletic improvement. The sore muscles will go away but the performance gains will last and translate to on field improvement.
Please see below for more detailed info about upcoming events:
AFA 2020 Tryouts:
REGISTER FOR AFA 2020 TRAVEL TRYOUTS
Hopefully you all received the tryout information and are getting the dates on your calendar. There are TWO tryout dates, so make sure you look for your grad year to know which one to attend. ALL players, returning and new, are required to try out for the 2020 season. As always, if selected for a team, our commitment to you is for participation in for the entire 2020 year. Selected players do not have to play in fall, but will not need to try out again if they decide to do so. We will have a supplemental tryout in August to fill available roster spots.
NEW THIS YEAR:
All upper high school team tryouts (2021, 2022, and 2023) will include mandatory stick skill and conditioning evaluations as part of the tryout format. This includes timed rebounder drills and timed run tests. Athletes on grade specific teams will be expected to meet the requirements in these evaluations. We will send out more specific details about the tests after Thanksgiving so athletes can practice and prepare.
OPEN TEAM:
As part of our ongoing growth as a program, AFA is offering a high school varsity team for the 2020 year. This team will be a combined age group (2021, 2022, and 2023 athletes) who would prefer play in local, championship tournaments during the month of June only.
- Less costly
- Less distance travel
- Geared to varsity player development
- No stick skill and run test requirements
- Practices and tournaments only in May-June
ALPHA LAX REGISTRATION
Spring Rec
Important Dates:
February 22 - Practices begin
March 14 - 12U, 14U Playday
March 21 - 10U, 12U, 14U Playday
March 28 - 8U, 10U, 12U, 14U Playday
April 4 - 8U, 10U Playday, 12U, 14U ONE LOVE TOURNAMENT
April 11 - No Games, Easter Weekend
April 18 - 8U, 10U, 12U, 14U Playday
April 19 - Make up Day for All Divisions
April 25 - 8U, 10U, 12U, 14U Playday
May 2 - All Divisions DANNY FOX MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT
Per NCGLL rules, no grade specific teams are allowed at the rec level and no tryouts are permitted. We have had a great deal of interest from outside our organization, so we encourage our athletes to sign up early to ensure a spot on an Alpha Lax rec team.
AFA Lacrosse 2019 Information
AFA Lacrosse 2019 Coaching Staff
Youth Team:
Coach Terri Wasley
Coach Wasley comes to AFA with seven years of lacrosse coaching experience at the youth, middle school and high school levels. She previously served as the Holly Springs High School varsity women’s coach and is the current JV coach of that program. Coach Wasley was a swimmer growing up and swam competitively at SUNY Oswego in college. Her daughters got her interested in lacrosse and she is now completely dedicated to helping our athletes grow their skill and love of the game. Coach Wasley is a US Lacrosse certified coach.
Coach Lindsay Ordemann
Coach Lindsay bring experience both as a player and coach to our youth program. She played lacrosse through high school and played division II lacrosse at Coker College throughout her college career. Coach Lindsay then took her skill and enthusiasm for the game to Camp Taconic where she was the lacrosse director and coached both boys and girls ages 7 - 17. She has moved the the Raleigh area to attend Meredith College and earn her master’s degree in physical education.
2025-2026 Team:
Coach Samantha Sopko
Coach Sopko brings a wealth of experience as a player and coach to our AFA program and 2025-2026 team. She started playing lacrosse in middle school at Seneca Middle School and continued to play through high school as a midfielder for Sachem North High School, on Long Island, New York. After earning her teaching degree Coach Sopko started coaching middle school lacrosse first at Samoset Middle School then at her Alma mater, Seneca Middle School. Coach Sopko coached for three years at the middle school level. In her final year, her team was awarded the district sportsmanship award after a successful 8-2 season. Coach Sopko is from a lacrosse family; her father and brother played lacrosse at Sachem North High School and her brother played through college as a goalie. Her husband is also a men’s lacrosse coach with experience at the high school and collegiate level. Coach Sopko recently moved to Holly Springs where she is a PE and Health teacher at Alston Ridge Middle School as well as the school’s cheer-leading coach.
2024 Team:
Coach Sarah Arbes
Coach Sarah is a recent graduate of Meredith College where she played four year of college lacrosse and was the team’s draw specialist. While at Meredith, Coach Sarah amassed a number of honors including All Region, First team All Conference, IWLCA Honor Roll, and All Conference Academic Honors. Coach Sarah was the first defender to be selected MVP in the USA South Championship. Coach Sarah graduated with a B.S. in Exercise and Sport Science and is currently pursuing an MAT in Health and Physical Education.while working as a TA at Apex High School.
Coach Michael Bagnasco will be assisting Coach Sarah with this team as co-coach.
2023 Team:
Coach Abbey Flynn
Coach Abbey was a standout player at Apex High School for four year, including the 2014 State Championship runner up season. She was a team captain, earned 1st team All Conference honors her junior and senior years and earned Academic All Conference honors all four years. Coach Abbey went on to play club lacrosse at ECU for two years and then played for ECU’s Division I team during their inaugural season in 2018. Coach Abbey has been a travel lacrosse coach for the past three years, was the Apex High School varsity assistant coach during the 2019 season, and was the US Lacrosse Women’s National Tournament team assistant for team NC.
2022 Team:
Coach Michael Bagnasco
For the past six years, Coach Bagnasco has been a lacrosse coach at the varsity and elite travel level. Coach Bagnasco's teams have won five conference titles, several tournament championships, produced three All Americans, several All Metro and All Conference players, and have been awarded the SWAC player of the year honors in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. Coach Bagnasco was the SWAC coach of the year in 2015 and 2018.Coach Bags is the current US Lacrosse All American Chair and the US Lacrosse Women’s National Team North Carolina Director and Head Coach.
Coach Sarah Arbes will be assisting Coach Bags with this team as co-coach.
2021 Team:
Coach Charlotte “Lottie” Meadows
Coach Lottie Meadows is currently the Assistant Women’s Lacrosse Coach at North Carolina Wesleyan College. She brings a wealth of coaching experience to the Alpha Female Athlete organization including collegiate coaching experience and four summers as an instructor at Meredith College lacrosse camps. She also served at Athens Drive High School as a lacrosse assistant and as a middle school coach and varsity travel coach at a club in Raleigh. She assisted the Apex Women's Lacrosse Team in the spring of 2016 before moving on to her college coaching career. Meadows joined the North Carolina Wesleyan Staff after a distinguished career at USA South Meredith College where she was a member of the Avenging Angels' inaugural 2013 team. As an attacker and team captain, she was an integral part of Meredith's rise to the top of the USA South for three seasons and helped lead the Angels to back-to-back USA South Tournament Championships and NCAA appearances in 2014 and 2015.
2020 Team:
Coach Katie Burnet
Coach Katie began her lacrosse career as one of the most decorated athletes at Apex High School where she was a four year varsity starter and team captain. Katie helped lead the Apex High School team to two State Championship titles, was a 1st team US Lacrosse All American, Academic All American, and 1st team All Conference athlete. Katie was also the Apex High School Most Valuable Female Athlete her senior year. She continued her lacrosse career at DI Longwood University before transferring to Meredith College. At Meredith, Katie was a dominant force on the lacrosse field earning honors as USA South Rookie of the Year in 2013, IWLCA All-Region in 2014 and 2016, Player of the Year and USA South Tournament MVP in 2014, USA South 1st Team All-Conference in 13, 14, 16, and USA South All-Academic Team in 13, 14, 15, 16. Katie was a Meredith Avenging Angels Team Captain and helped lead the team to three USA South Tournament Championships and two NCAA Tournament appearances. Katie brings 5 years of coaching experience at the club level and recently earned her M.S. in Exercise Physiology from UNC Chapel-Hill.
Lacrosse News
Get Familiar with the changes in Girls' Lacrosse with these links:
Self Start Rule in HS/Girls' Lacrosse
High School Girls' Rules Changes for 2019 Season | US Lacrosse
US Lacrosse Announces 2019 Girls Youth Rule Changes | US Lacrosse
Self Start Rule in HS/Girls' Lacrosse
High School Girls' Rules Changes for 2019 Season | US Lacrosse
US Lacrosse Announces 2019 Girls Youth Rule Changes | US Lacrosse
Weekly Speed and Agility Workshops
As part of our commitment to improving our players in both lacrosse and overall athleticism, AFA Lacrosse will be offering weekly speed and agility workshops as a part of our summer program. These workshops will be available to registered High School and Middle School athletes. Participation is covered by season tuition for AFA Lacrosse.
Spring Rec Lacrosse with AFA
AFA Lacrosse will continue offering spring rec in 2020 for all of our youth through middle school athletes as ALPHA LAX.
