The Franklin Regional girls lacrosse team has reached the WPIAL playoffs nine consecutive seasons.
The Panthers reached the semifinals in 2017 and 2018, finishing fourth and third, respectively.
Panthers coach Anna Lauer hopes the youth on the 2026 team creates another playoff appearance and a second WPIAL title.
The Panthers won the Class 3A title in 2010.
Franklin Regional started 4-2 overall and 2-1 in Section 1-2A.
Last season, the Panthers were 9-7 overall and 7-3 in Section 1-2A behind Seton LaSalle and Hampton. They finished in a three-way tie for third with Indiana and Oakland Catholic.
The Panthers lost to Oakland Catholic, 11-9, in the playoffs.
Lauer said she is counting on senior attacker Bella Ioannou, who tallied 30 goals and 14 assists last season, senior attacker Anna Ioannou, who tallied 33 goals and had eight assists last season, and junior midfielder Emme Funari, who tallied 15 draw controls and 24 caused turnovers last season, to lead the way.
“Expectations for the season are to raise our standard of performance as a team to not only compete but to really take control of our effort and win games as a team,” Lauer said. “We want to achieve a high-ranked spot in our section and seed well into playoffs.”
A couple of fresh faces are expected to contribute, including sophomore midfielder Leah Wagner, who is stepping up this season so far, Lauer said. Last year, she tallied 48 draw controls and 17 caused turnovers.
“Sophomore defender Ally Keefe is a staple defense player for us,” Lauer said. “She contributes greatly to our organization and communication on the field.”
The Panthers opened the season with a pair of nonsection wins, 10-4 over Latrobe and 8-3 over Hempfield.
Wagner had three goals against Latrobe, and Funari and Wagner each scored three goals.
After an 11-7 loss to Norwin, the Panthers lost their section opener, 7-3, to Hampton.
They rebounded to defeat Indiana, 7-5, and Greensburg Salem, 14-3, in section action.
Anna Ioannou and Wagner each scored three goals against Indiana, while Wagner had four goals and Anna Ioannou three against Greensburg Salem.
The goaltending has been solid as Keefe and Lauren Gray have combined to allow a section-low 5.5 goals per game.
“We are a young team overall, so team goals are to grow our confidence and our skill set all over the field,” Lauer said. “We want to keep our attitude up and our intensity at pace while working on our team chemistry with a young group.”
Franklin Regional was looking forward to a three-game homestand with matchups April 8 against Plum, April 9 against Greensburg Central Catholic and April 14 against Seton LaSalle.