OMHS senior competes in international tournament

The American entry in The Netherlands Lacrosse Cup ’17 earned silver medals in the tournament held Jan. 14-15 at Tilburg University, located in the Netherlands. 

The team, coached by Seton-La Salle High’s (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) Brian Klisavage, was led in part by Oak Mountain High School senior Celia Brand. 

The team was comprised of players from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Texas and Alabama. Brand was the sole player representing Alabama.

The team faced competition from club and national teams from The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Sweden. Tournament champion Sweden was the only team to beat Team USA, once in pool play and then again in the tournament final. 

Brand has played lacrosse for Oak Mountain throughout her middle and high school years, having played varsity all four years of high school. She will be furthering her education and lacrosse career this fall as she joins the University of Findlay (Ohio) women’s lacrosse team.

“Celia was a big part of our success in Europe,” Klisavage said. “First off, she is a high-energy player who brings a lot of intensity and aggressiveness to the game. That was important as we had a number of underclassmen on this team, but when a senior player like Celia is aggressive the whole team picks up that and follows. 

“At both ends of the floor, Celia played well. She was a key part of a team defense that caused a great deal of turnovers and at the offensive end she scored multiple goals in each game and was always a threat to drive to the cage.” 

Klisavage continued: “Outside the lines, Celia is the type of player coaches love to have; a great teammate, always positive, always pushing herself and her teammates.”

– Submitted by Brian Klisavage and Jenni Brand.