Over the summer, Inside Lacrosse asked Candace Pallitto what she hoped to accomplish in the final season of her girls lacrosse career at Villa Walsh (Morristown, N.J.) Academy.
"I would like to continue to lead my team to success on and off the field," said Pallitto. "At the same time, I want to continue to improve my playing while enjoying every game."
If her season opener is any indication, the Georgetown commit will have no problem achieving those goals. Speaking of goals, Pallitto remarkably had 11 of them in a 16-14 victory against Mount St. Dominic (Caldwell, N.J.) Academy on Tuesday.
Pallitto also had an assist, giving her a hand in 12 of her team's 16 goals. She scored seven goals in the second half, including one to put the game away in the final minute.
"I was really excited and extremely pumped up," Pallitto told The Star-Ledger. "I think the energy around me, just the fact that everyone was playing so hard, got me fired up. I was just glad to help everyone pull out the win."
Pallitto tallied 71 goals and 23 assists in 19 games as a junior midfielder for the Vikings (14-5) last season. For those counting at home, that's an average of 3.7 goals per game.
Her 11-goal performance puts her on pace to shatter the single-season state record of 148 goals, set by Allentown (N.J.) High's USC-bound senior Alex Moore last spring. Moore, a returning U.S. Lacrosse All-American, averaged 6.7 goals in her record-setting season.
It's safe to assume Pallitto won't catch the Allentown star for the state's career scoring mark, though. Moore entered her senior season with 315 goals, trailing former Red Bank (N.J.) Catholic High star Brie Moran by just 50 for the all-time record.
Moran went on to shine at Colgate, where she recorded the nation's top single-game scoring afternoon in 2009. She scored 10 goals that day -- another reminder of Pallitto's incredible performance in her season opener, albeit at the high school level.
Want more on the best stories in high school sports? Visit RivalsHigh or connect with Prep Rally on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.