Byrnes lacrosse duo building legacy, breaking records
Back in middle school, Byrnes lacrosse standouts Sophie Pavlick and Aubree Mayse had a game they used to play.
“We would literally just take turns swinging the ball at each other as hard as we possibly could,” said Pavlick. “We just wanted to see if the other one could catch it. We made other games of things we knew we weren’t great at so that we could improve and grow together.”
Four years later, their unique forms of training have paid dividends.
Together, the pair of juniors are barreling through the competition and shattering records in the process.
Heading into the season, the record for total goals scored in Lady Rebels’ history was 114. Within the last three weeks, both Pavlick and Mayse have left that milestone in the dust — again, both in just their junior seasons. They’re not planning on stopping anytime soon, either.
“Usually on a lot of teams, it’s kind of one girl doing the work on her own,” said Pavlick, “but me and Aubree, we’ve always bounced off each other and strived to make each other better. If we notice weaknesses in each other, we try to make each other better and work on those things together.”
Pavlick and Mayse have been instrumental in leading the Rebels’ charge this season.
“Sophie and I have great chemistry when we’re out there,” said Mayse. “It’s like we know where the other person is going to be at all times without even having to communicate it. If I’m coming down the field, I can count on Sophie to be where I need her to be so I can pass the ball off.”
“It’s so nice,” said Pavlick. “With a lot of players, having not played together as much, it takes more communication, but with Aubree and I, we’ve built that bond to where everything between us is just second nature. It makes it that much more fun.”
Pavlick has racked up 54 goals on the season, while Mayse is in close pursuit with 45 of her own. Coming into the year, the Byrnes record for goals scored in a season was 49.
“They both play extremely well together,” said Bill Cureton, Byrnes High Girls Lacrosse coach. “They’re captains for us… they’re great leaders for our team, and on top of that, they’re both great girls academically. I never have to worry about those two.”
Pavlick and Mayse’s impact extends far beyond the stat sheets. As captains and leaders, they’ve taken on the responsibilities of mentoring some of the younger girls on the roster. They were once in those shoes, after all.
“Whenever we get to practice with JV, we get a chance to walk them through their game and what they’re doing,” Mayse said. “We remember growing up and being new to lacrosse. Lacrosse is such a hard sport for new players to grasp. We take pride in being able to help the younger girls with anything they need, whether that’s on or off the field.”
With Byrnes rolling and their best regular season in program history wrapped up, Pavlick and Mayse will look to lead their Lady Rebels on a deep playoff run and potentially a historic state championship.