The Starr’s Mill Lady Panther lacrosse team had one of its more memorable regular seasons in some time. Now, the Lady Panthers hope to carry that momentum over into the postseason.

On Thursday, they host Lovett in an Area A-AAAA play-in game with the winner advancing to the first round of the playoffs.

“It’s going to come down to who does the little things right and who controls the ball,” said Starr’s Mill first-year coach Joseph Perrotta. “We’re trying to tell them you can’t let it hit the ground. You got to make smart passes, move the ball around and maintain possession of it.

“It’s going to be a tough game,” Perrotta said. “Both teams are going to be ready. Both teams are pretty skilled but it’s going to be the one that works a little harder that will come out on top.”

The Lady Panthers (12-1-1) will slightly have a mental edge in this match-up since they defeated the Lady Lions 14-9 on March 22.

Coming into this win-or-go-home scenario, Starr’s Mill is riding a five-game winning streak while Lovett has lost its last five outings.

Perrotta is also confident in the Lady Panthers because of their ability to survive in tight games.

“One of the reoccurring things this season has been the ability of the girls to find a way to win when it’s close,” he said. “Also our girls have been able to put the full 50 minutes of effort in there.”

Another reason the Lady Panthers have been so successful this season and increased their win total by five games compared to last year is because they have stuck to the philosophy.

“We really focus on our defense,” Perrotta said. “We realize that we’ve got some great offensive skills. We got some girls who can shoot unbelievably but we really want to shut the other team’s offense down.”

And all of this has been possible because of outstanding chemistry.

“We got a great group of girls this year that have really bonded and come together as a team,” Perrotta said. “We’ve had one of the best seasons that girls’ lacrosse has seen since this program started.”

As a result, the goals set by the seniors have been reached.

“We wanted to return to a winning season because that is when you are having the most fun and bring back a positive attitude towards the program,” Perrotta said.