Rich Fortier, Pembroke Academy’s girls lacrosse head coach, reviewed the list of names, pen in hand. When he handed back the roster, 15 of the 21 players had check marks next to their names.

“Those are the players with two years of experience or less,” said Fortier, who coached the school’s club team last year and has watched his fledgling Division- III group struggle to take flight in 2008.

There is no feeder program in town, and few yearround players. Still, the Lady Spartans, said Fortier and assistant coach Rose Galligan, gladly take the field to play a game they must enjoy, for now, as beginners.

The team’s 15-1 loss to host Pelham on Thursday, May 2, was a perfect example of the slow process in building a competitive program.

Ground balls and completed passes were the almost-exclusive domain of the Lady Pythons. PA’s effort was consistent. It’s simply not on par with most of its D-III foes.

Pelham took a 4-0 lead before Heather Hill, whom Fortier described as an aggressive, dedicated individual on and off the field, left-handed a shot past the Lady Pythons’ goalkeeper.

“Heather has been on a mission to make sure she wasn’t going to be part of the last senior class to play lacrosse here,” said Fortier, referring to the uncertain future of the school’s sports programs.

Along with fellow senior captains Faye Lesniewski, Rose Palmer and Audrey Wills, as well as classmates Katie Cotnoir, Hannah Poirier and Bonnie Smith, Hill is one of eight upperclassmen on the team. Junior attacker Stacie Lavoie is the other.

The remaining 13 athletes – six sophomores and seven freshman – share playing time with their older mates. This group is led by sophomore Elisha Lacey, who has roughly nine years of experience playing against some of the area’s best competition on a regular basis.

“That’s bad (that she’s the most experienced) because she’s only a sophomore,” said Fortier. “But it’s good because she’s only a sophomore, too.”

Freshman goalie Allison McIntosh, forced into action because Smith was unavailable, stopped numerous shots in her first varsity start.

McIntosh’s classmates – Tamara Boudette, Kinsey Brassaw, the injured Breanna McCormack, Emma Pinard, Heather Sherburne and Megan Tassie – join sophomores Jordan Fallon, Sarah Freeman- Woolpert, Jillian Gallagher, Brianna Hughes, Lacey and Jennifer Lamontagne in completing the roster.

Repeatedly, PA made one or two good plays in a row against Pelham, but the Lady Spartans routinely couldn’t complete a sequence and score.

That, said Fortier, come with time and experience. For now, Pembroke continues in search of its first victory. The girls dropped a one-goal game to Somersworth, 6-5, on April 28 and show no signs of letting up, let alone giving up.

“They’re having fun and playing hard,” said Fortier, “with what little experience they’ve got.”