When Lorraine Beers took over as head coach of Archbishop John Carroll High School’s girls lacrosse program in 2000, the team fell just one goal short of the Philadelphia Catholic League title. Since then, she and the Patriots have bounced back with a vengeance, winning every PCL game and championship through 2024. They’ve also won four straight Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association 2A State Championships since 2021.
Beers took the position a quarter century ago with zero expectations, but she quickly found inspiration in her players. At the time, travel clubs or PIAA for girls’ lacrosse didn’t exist. Beers focused on finding year-round opportunities for her girls. “We were like a club,” she says. “There were far fewer lacrosse tournaments—but if we could find them, we went.”
“In 2022, Megan Sheridan, an accomplished basketball player at Carroll, picked up a stick for the first time as a junior. By her senior year, she’d committed to play lacrosse at the University of Pittsburgh. Success stories like these are what drive Beers.”
One of her players in that first year was Paige Andrews, who had her heart set on continuing her athletic career at Georgetown University. “That became our shared mission,” says Beers. “Along the way, many other girls realized they could also play in college.”
Colleges have continued to take note of the team in the form of multiple NCAA Division I offers. In 2022, Megan Sheridan, an accomplished basketball player at Carroll, picked up a stick for the first time as a junior. By her senior year, she’d committed to play lacrosse at the University of Pittsburgh. Success stories like these are what drives Beers. “Everyone who sets foot on the field has a dream, whether that’s getting varsity minutes or playing in a Final Four at the Division I college level,” she says. “I feel so fortunate to have been able to do this for as long as I have.”
At the end of this season, Beers will send five of her seniors off to collegiate programs, four of which are D1. Attacker/midfielder Claire Sexton is headed to the Ivy League. “I already feel like I’m somewhat more prepared than others may be because of the experience coach Beers has provided us,” says Sexton, who will be a freshman at William & Mary this fall. “She has us work hard every day in practice—harder than we may be playing for games—so we’re prepared to play at any level.”
Last year, Beers led the squad to a 15-0 record in the PCL. Sexton was a key player in an overtime matchup against neighborhood rival Radnor High School, boosting the team to an 11-10 victory with a sudden-death goal. Outside the archdiocese, the Patriots fell only to Conestoga High School. A rematch is set for May 3 of this year.
Like all great sports dynasties, Carroll’s doesn’t come without the weight of expectations. “There’s a lot of pressure because our team has been good for so many years,” says senior defensive midfielder Nicole DeMola. “But coach Beers pushes us and makes us our best selves. She holds us to a high standard because she knows we can get there.”
Senior goalie Mei Rader has felt the pressure in big games, but Beers’ leadership style eases the anxiety somewhat. “The environment she creates in our practices is intense, but still fun,” Rader says. “That has helped prepare us.”
What’s Beers’ secret? “The recipe is showing up obsessively, training hard and playing all the time,” she says. “We want to compete every year at the highest level. We want to get better individually every day, because that’s the key.”
Naturally, hopes are high for the 2025 season, as the Patriots look to capture their 25th consecutive PCL title—and maybe even a state trophy. “We don’t want to let anyone down,” says Sexton. “We know that if we work hard, stay focused and remember the goal, we’ll hopefully win another championship.”
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