Roland Park Country School coach Kevin Cooper says he thinks a lot about his team's play on his nightly commute from work to home.

You can bet plenty of that time has been spent reviewing the Reds' 2-1 loss to archrival Bryn Mawr in the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland B Conference championship game last November.

"We were probably ahead in that game, 1-0, 80 percent of the time," Cooper said. "I will replay in my mind some of the things that we could have done differently."

Cooper and the Reds will get their chance sooner, rather than later, when the two-time defending conference champion Mawrtians host Roland Park at Mount Washington Field, on Sept. 14 at 4 p.m., in the IAAM opener for both schools.

"That first game is going to be insane," Roland Park junior midfielder Nikki Hudson said. "It will be just like we left off from the (championship) game. I think we are as good as Bryn Mawr. We just have to have our confidence in the game and step up."

The Reds might not be as experienced as the squad that went 15-2 last year, but they appear to be just as talented.

Bolstered by three new starters, freshmen Brittany Day and Francesca Whitehurst and sophomore Maiya Futrell, along with freshmen reserves Katie Clements and Alison Kuhn, the Reds boast more depth than in past years.

"We have lost eight seniors," Hudson said. "We have gotten younger. We have five new girls and they are easy to play with. They have adjusted well. We just have to get a rhythm together. I think it will happen."

Hudson will be at the center of the mission to knock off Bryn Mawr and highly touted Riley Barger, a University of Maryland recruit. Hudson, a two-time B Conference All-Star has been recruited by University of Florida, High Point University and Loyola University Maryland, according to Cooper.

"You only have a Nikki Hudson once in a Blue Moon," Cooper explained. "She definitely makes everyone around her better. She really understands the game, so she is like a coach on the field. She directs the girls where to be."

Senior goalie Betsy Angel is also a player Reds' supporters know they can rely on for stellar play in the net. Angel, a standout lacrosse attacker headed to James Madison University, keeps improving every season while making plenty of eye-catching saves.

"She is definitely learning the position and is a true athlete," Cooper said. "Her lack of soccer (experience) gets taken over by unbelievable athleticism. She can make save that makes you say, 'Wow.' "

Cooper, who is in his ninth year as coach, also has a ton of praise for the way his trio of captains — senior defender Serene Mirza, Hudson and senior forward Christa Reuse — lead the Reds.

"Our senior leadership is second to none," the coach said. "They realize how serious our goal is this year. They get all the girls on board. Our captains played in the final last year, and they were upset at not winning. They don't want to feel that way again."