Megan Pickett found lacrosse after she entered high school.

She’s glad she did.

“It’s been amazing,” the Chippewa United senior captain said after helping her team defeat Ford-Utica 23-2 in a Macomb Area Conference game Friday night.

“It’s one of my favorite sports,” Pickett continued. “It’s a different vibe. It’s more exciting. There’s a lot of teamwork, and it’s just really fun.”

Pickett and Addilyn Yakimovich scored two goals apiece in the first quarter to help the team made up of players from Chippewa Valley and Dakota take a 12-1 lead.

“We were talking a lot, we were passing each other the ball,” Pickett said. “We were using each other rather than being selfish. We were acting like a team this game.”

Pickett and fellow captain Katie Marshall finished with three goals apiece for the home team. Mackenzie Kaul, Yakimovich, Alyssa Jarvis and Angela Messina had two each.

“Everybody got involved,” Chippewa United coach Bryan Smetanka said. “It was a team win. I know that sounds cliche, but it really was.

“We’re starting to put stuff together, and we’re having fun doing it. I think our defense has come a long way.”

Pickett played volleyball from the sixth grade through 12th.

The Chippewa Valley student picked up lacrosse when she was a sophomore. She spent one year on the JV and two on the varsity.

“Lacrosse is a lot more physical, which I like,” she said. “I like the environment, getting out here to play outside. I like the whole team aspect of it.”

She’s proud to serve as a captain in her final season as a prep athlete.

“It was very humbling,” she said in reference to the team vote that gave her a captaincy.

Pickett plans to study aerospace engineering at the University of Central Florida.She said she will miss being a Chippewa Valley athlete.

“It’s been everything I wanted,” Pickett said.

Smetanka said Pickett and Marshall, who scored two goals after halftime, have been standout captains.

“They’ve been role models on and off the field,” the coach said of the seniors. “They give 110%. There’s no halfway with them. They love helping their team.”

Sophie Klayo scored a goal in each half for Ford-Utica.

The sophomore is one of two members of the team who had lacrosse experience prior to this season, first-year coach Evita Martina said.

“It’s difficult, but we try real hard,” Martina said.

Martina got the coaching job at the 11th hour.

“There was no time to recruit,” she said, adding that the team has only one player from Utica.

“I hope that next year we can have more. The girls are making Instagram (posts) and taking pictures. We are hoping to grow, for sure.”

Smetanka is all for growth in the game. Chippewa United and Ford-Utica are among six MAC girls teams.

“I want the sport to keep on growing,” he said. “Lacrosse is a combination of a lot of different sports. You can be a couple different types of athlete and play the sport.”

Chippewa United’s Addison Archibald, Jessica Vushaj, Chloe Benedict, Zoey Bunk, Kyla Lake, Madelyn Leder, Taylor Harrison, Kendall Cool and Lainey Clifford scored a goal apiece against Ford-Utica.