It’s hard for Kampbell Stone and Audrey Schoemer to remember a time they didn’t know each other. 

They’ve competed in girls soccer together and find themselves leading an Upper Arlington girls lacrosse team this spring that is looking to return to the status it enjoyed when it won five consecutive state titles from 2015-19 under former coach Wendy Pinta. 

That won’t be the end of their time together, though, considering they both signed last November to play for the Ohio State women’s lacrosse program. 

“We’ve known each other since we were babies,” Schoemer said. “Growing up down the street from Ohio State, we just grew up as Buckeyes and it’s a tradition.” 

The Golden Bears lost just one game each of the past two seasons, falling to Dublin Coffman 11-9 in a Division I, Region 3 final in 2021 and then winning their first 22 games last spring before losing 13-12 in overtime to New Albany in the state championship game. 

Heading into its OCC-Central Division opener April 4 at Olentangy Orange, UA is 3-0 overall.  

One of the Bears’ wins came March 28 when they edged Louisville (Kentucky) Sacred Heart 7-6 in their home opener, which also represented their first home game under new coach Laura Sandbloom. Sacred Heart went 19-6 a year ago. 

Sandbloom, whose maiden name is Burke, is a 2006 UA graduate who played for the Bears’ 2004 and ’05 state title teams. She has taken over as coach for Morgan Fee Maldovan, who stepped down after heading the program last season. 

“We have a really young team and the growth has been just immense the last couple weeks,” Sandbloom said. “It’s been nice to get a couple games under our belts and have the development of our young players. (Sacred Heart) was quite a game to come back to (Marv Moorehead Stadium) with. It feels like home. 

“This feels like a new team. We’ve got a lot of young kids, but then we have these returners leading the way with a chip on their shoulder for sure.” 

Stone finished with 50 goals and 22 assists last season when she earned first-team all-league, all-region and all-state honors. She was named the regional Midfielder of the Year and believes her biggest strength is on the defensive end. 

Schoemer was an honorable mention all-league honoree last season who anchors the defense. 

Senior attacker Lilly Stelzer has committed to Cincinnati, junior defender/midfielder Abbie Dunlap has committed to Louisville and junior midfielder Ava Stummer will play for Penn State. 

“Coming from UA, lacrosse is just really big here overall, so we always have a lot of people come here every year, but especially defensively, (Stone and I) are the only two returning along with (Dunlap),” Schoemer said. “We’re just getting used to each other.  

“Originally I was a midfielder my freshman year, and then COVID hit and I switched over to defense. This way I can just clear the ball and hit off to other people.” 

Stone has a senior twin brother, Tanner Stone, who competes in hockey and boys lacrosse for the Bears. 

Tanner also is planning to go to Ohio State along with Kampbell, who believes her team is using last year’s state final loss as a motivational tool. 

“We’re a really young team this year,” Kampbell Stone said. “We did lose a very strong senior class last year, so we’re trying to figure out who works well together and see those younger players step up. Last year, we relied on two or three scorers, and this year we have the depth, so we’re trying to figure out who’s going to step up and work together. This team is very strong, and we’re very close compared to last year, so that’s going to help us a lot on the field. 

“We did talk about (last year’s state final) at the beginning of the season, but it isn’t something we talk about every day. (Our coaches) always say you have 24 hours to think about a game and then you move on, good or bad. (The state final) was just a weird game. A state championship is always a goal, what every team in the state is striving for, but it’s not like we’re thinking about last year’s mistakes. It’s new season, new team.” 

Known for her speed and athleticism in the back, Schoemer grew up as a dancer before switching her focus to sports when she was still in elementary school. 

Stone competed in gymnastics until she endured a serious back injury when she was in elementary. 

Both of Stone’s parents went to Ohio State and both Schoemer’s parents are UA graduates. 

“I have a huge family and everyone went to Ohio State, so I just like carrying on the legacy,” Stone said. “I know wearing a Buckeye jersey is going to be cool, going down the tunnel.