While in middle school, Jessica Everman would watch Sarah Berardi score goals at a phenomenal rate en route to a Lawrence High lacrosse school record of 184.
Little did Everman, now a Cardinal senior, realize that a few years later, that same woman would be encouraging her to surpass that mark.
“I keep telling her ‘I want you to beat my record,’” said Berardi, who’s in her first year as LHS coach while completing her final year at Rowan University. “Her shots are perfectly placed, she knows right where to shoot the ball based on whether the goalie is right or left. Her shots are so powerful. I know it’s a lot but I want her to do it. If anyone could do it, she could definitely do it.”
It would be tough; but not impossible. To own the record, Everman would have to score 101 goals this season, which would be two more than Berardi tallied her senior year. Jess had 31 through the Cardinals 3-3 start. That gave her 114 with 12 regular-season games and at least one Mercer County Tournament contest remaining, meaning she would have to average roughly six goals per contest.
Everman’s task has been made more daunting by the fact she lost her entire freshman year due to Covid shutdowns; but early in the season she wasn’t stressing about it.
“It would be cool, but it’s not the end of the world if I don’t,” she said. “We’re out here to have fun. But scoring is fun too.”
So is hitting milestones, as Everman discovered on Apr. 14 when she tallied her 100th career goal against Allentown.
“I never really check my stats, so I didn’t know I was close until coach told me,” she said. “It’s pretty cool to achieve. It definitely shows some of the work I’ve put in, especially building up the team the last couple years. We try to work together on attack and it’s a testament to all the other girls on the attack.”
One in particular is senior Megan Simpson, who had 24 goals through six games and was 37 shy of 100.
“Megan and I definitely work really well together,” Everman said. “We’re best friends, we already know what each other will say so that translates on the field. We’ve been playing together since fourth grade. Playing that two-man game together is my favorite part of scoring. It makes it more fun than just dodging to goal by yourself all the time. It just makes it more creative to have someone to work with.”
Everman has been working at her craft since a young age. She began soccer in second grade and picked up lacrosse two years later. While watching Berardi play on the girls team, she would also watch her brother Alex compete with the boys. Much like his sister, Alex had his career numbers diminished as Covid 19 ruined his senior year, leaving him three short of 100 goals.
“He’s only three years older than me so we grew up playing together more than me just watching him,” Jessie said. “We’d be in the backyard, shooting around, playing defense on each other. It was a good time.”
Defense was Everman’s main duty for the Cardinals soccer team, while offense is her forte in lacrosse. She is a midfielder in both.
“I’m always running,” Everman said. “In soccer I set people up more, but in lacrosse it’s kind of hard not to get into the action on attack when you’re at midfield. I definitely enjoy both aspects of it. I really like lacrosse, the fluidity of it, the movement of attack, just working together with everyone.”
As a middie, Jessie feels she can understand each part of the field, giving her an advantage in both roles.
“Lacrosse is definitely set up for the attacker to win so as a defender you have to think about what move they’re gonna do,” she said. “You can see the body language of someone trying to drive to the goal. I’lve always loved being able to rebound and shut it down on defense.”
When Berardi took over in March, she knew about Everman since some of her former teammates had played with her. The coach was tuned into the fact Jessie had skills, but her ability surpassed anything Berardi envisioned.
“My first practice I was like ‘Oh my gosh, she’s really good,’” Berardi said. “She has a great lacrosse IQ. I have not seen an IQ like that from any kid before. She knows what kind of dodges to do to get around defenders, she knows when to pass the ball, when to shoot, when to go.
“On top of that, she’s a very skilled defender. Her footwork is insane, she’s a very fast player so her footwork is already there for defense.”
Everman also gains possession for the Cardinals, as she led the team with 39 draw controls through six games.
“She’s very skilled at grabbing the ball in the air and then moving around every defender,” Berardi said. “There are four people all around her and she’s somehow able to go around all these players. I’m like ‘Wow, this is just great lacrosse to watch!’ Especially from someone at such a young age who didn’t even have her freshman year.”
In looking at her lost year, Everman does not bemoan the fact it may cost her a school record; or any other individual highlight. She was looking at the big picture.
“That probably would have been our best team in terms of talent,” she said. “There was a solid senior and junior class that year. I’m pretty bummed to miss out on that.”
Berardi was quick to note that Everman has a team-first attitude with little interest in personal stats. She is also impressed that a player of her ability is not a prima donna, but one who is willing to listen to coaching rather than decide she knows everything.
“She’s very coachable,” Berardi said. “If I tell her to focus on something based on where the goalie is, she’ll focus on shooting at the weaker points. She changes it right away. I’ve been with her for just over a month and she’s grown tremendously.
“She’s also a great leader. She’s the first one to explain something to a teammate, calm them down and get them to regroup. When things get negative, she’s always there to build people up. She doesn’t ever put her head down. I love that about her.”
Everman, who calls it a “cool experience to be coached; by someone who played for our old coach (Heather Phillips),” feels Berardi has brought a ton of energy to a team with a lot of new players.
“That’s good for them,” Jessie said. “If you don’t have positivity, nothing’s gonna happen on the field. I remember watching her play how competitive she was.”
Off the field, Everman has a 4.3 weighted grade point average and is active in Lawrence’s DECA chapter that focuses on business roleplay events. She was also introduced to crochet by her grandmother during Covid and now sells bikinis on Instagram for a modest profit.
“It’s a creative outlet,” she said. “I love making clothes, thrifting, shopping.”
In looking toward next year, Jessie’s top college choice is the University of Vermont, where she would hope to study neuroscience. Playing varsity lacrosse or soccer is not on the table for now.
“I’ve been playing sports all my life, I think I just want to do something new,” Everman said. “I’ll play club. I love being a part of a team, but I don’t want it being my entire college experience. But things can change.”
For now, she is happy looking back on a highly successful high school experience in athletics.